Museum pulls plans for $50 fee

The Neue Galerie in New York City dropped plans to charge a $50 admission fee for special viewings of a celebrated Klimt portrait following protests from some callers.

The museum said Wednesday that it would go ahead with free members-only Wednesdays -- the day it had planned the $50 fee for the general public -- to see Gustav Klimt’s “Adele Bloch-Bauer I,” a 1907 portrait of a Viennese society woman that was acquired last month by billionaire Ronald S. Lauder for a reported $135 million.

For several days, the museum’s website had publicized special viewings on Wednesdays between noon and 4 p.m. for nonmembers at $50 “because of high demand.” The announcement was removed Wednesday and replaced with references to members-only free visits, without the public being admitted, the museum said.

“Upon further reflection, it simply seemed better to maintain our existing admissions policy,” said Scott Gutterman, deputy director.