Abstract

The article focuses on cultural patronage and museums funding, moving from a comparison between the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Uffizi Galleries. Despite the recent reform of museums and the introduction of fiscal breaks to incentivize donations in Italy, the analysis of these institutions reveals that considerable differences remain regarding the involvement of private resources, especially those from individuals, in financing museums. The experiences of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Uffizi Galleries are useful in order to find out the reasons: these can be identified - just to mention some of them - in the different genesis and functions historically acknowledged to museums; in the role of museums to the service and the development of the society (ticketing and admission policies of the Metropolitan Museum of Art are illustrative); in the American philanthropic culture and in the importance of fundraising initiatives in U.S. museums (of which, the Met Gala is a clear example).