At The Louvre

Two pictures of the Louvre. The first appeared in the New York Times illustrating an article about how the Sarkozy government is considering making all museum entries free. The photographer, who I have not previously heard of, is Ed Alcock. The second is from Thomas Struth's famous museum series. I like them both in different ways - the Struth because it is so deliberately and thoughtfully conceived, and the Alcock because it is unwittingly artful.

With MoMA admission now infamously at $20, the free admission idea seems timely and is already working in England where there has been a 50 percent rise in attendance recorded since the measure was introduced in 2001. An intelligent alternative is the Metropolitan Museum's where there is a "suggested donation" of $20, but you can pay nothing if you wish.

An even better idea for improving the quality of American museums - get the curators and directors out of their chairs and offices and into the streets, galleries, studios, and schools. There was a time when the photography directors of the New York museums would regularly come to galleries, but this is now a rarity and all are the poorer for it.