Boston museums offer free admission in marathon bombings aftermath

In response to the explosions Monday at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, two of the city’s museums, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Institute of Contemporary Art, are offering free admission on Tuesday.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic events that occurred yesterday during the Boston Marathon and our thoughts go out to the runners, friends, families, first responders and all those impacted,” the ICA’s Jill Medvedow and Ellen Matilda Poss said in a statement. “We hope the museum will offer a place of community and reflection.”

The museum has increased security and will continue its free school vacation week activities as scheduled, according to the statement.

FULL COVERAGE: Boston Marathon attack | VIDEO: Boston marathon explosion

The MFA notified patrons via email that its galleries and special exhibitions would be free to “visitors who wish to find a place of respite during this painful time for our community.”

The museum is currently featuring exhibitions on samurai armor, paintings by Paul Cézanne and photographs by Bruce Davidson.

New York museums made a similar offer to patrons following the Sept. 11 attacks. Perhaps, as Oscar Wilde once said, that it’s through “art and art only that we can shield ourselves from the sordid perils of actual existence.”

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