Instagram Users Slam The Whitney Art Party For Being Too Expensive

After a two-year hiatus, the Whitney Museum announced that its annual Art Party, an admittedly glamorous night at the museum, would be returning on January 31st. 

The art world institution promoted the event on Instagram, inviting "young patrons, emerging artists, and art enthusiasts" to an astrology-themed evening "of dancing, cocktails, DJ sets by Questlove and The Muses, and much more."

The starting ticket price? $250, or $200 for members. The same as the event's last iteration in 2020. 

And while those prices are relatively affordable when compared to other young philanthropy events in New York (the Guggenheim's 2022 Young Collectors bash, for example, started at $300 for members), and certainly less than you'd spend in a few hours at any given nightclub around town, some would-be partygoers have slammed the "inaccessible" cost of the soiree marketed towards emerging creatives and young patrons.

"These ticket prices are a prime of example of how past NYC subculture and community [has] not preserved and is dying," wrote one Instagram user in the post's comments. "Whitney should be ashamed of their high ticket prices for individuals to have fun, and it is clear who their audience is catering to."

"$250 for emerging artists? Noooope," wrote another.

Though there is, of course, the open bar to consider, the grievances may not be totally misplaced. We mean, marquee art world fundraisers are targeted to a certain tax bracket (or trust fund crowd) and the Whitney is by no means an indie gallery. 

And while the fight to democratize the art scene is certainly an important one, it's probably not going to start with splashy fundraisers like this. The aspirational access is a feature, not a bug. 

[Photo via Whitney Museum]