Julie Mehretu donates over $2 million to Whitney’s ‘Free 25 and Under’ programme

Julie Mehretu has donated over $2 million to the Whitney Museum of American Art to cover admission fees for visitors aged 25 and younger for the next three years. The Whitney’s new ‘Free 25 and Under’ initiative aligns with broader efforts by US museums to appeal to younger audiences and regain foot traffic. 

The Whitney has announced that the programme is expected to launch by mid-December and will run for three years. Julie Mehretu has contributed $2.25 million to the nearly $5 million initiative, alongside trustee Susan Hess. 

‘If you’re waiting tables like I was, you can’t afford to go to museums all the time’, Mehretu explained, ‘but young artists need access to art.’