The real offense is the museum's coyness about publicizing this fact, having some time ago deleted from its ticket-desk signs the sentence "Pay What You Wish but You Must Pay Something."

Though controversy raged around the introduction of the new "Pay What You Wish" policy back then, those were simpler times, with simpler sums: many visitors paid less than 25 cents to receive the famous Met buttons (which were briefly tickets and are now stickers).

Admission is Pay as You Wish on Tuesdays.