Friday, April 29, 2011 – It was with great pride that the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) welcomed its 50,000th Museum VIP (member). It is the first time this level of membership has been reached in the Museum’s 150‐year history. The family of Mr. Katsuhiro Yamazaki, his wife, Ms. Manon Asselin, and their two children, Exilia and Essei (right), decided to become Museum Family VIPs in order to enjoy all the benefits associated with membership, including free, unlimited, priority access to all the MMFA’s exhibitions (including the current exhibition The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army and the highly anticipated The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier, which will be presented during the summer of 2011). Other privileges associated with VIP status include a free subscription to the Museum’s art magazine M and access to a variety of educational and cultural activities (lectures, films and guided tours), most of which are free of charge for VIPs. Museum VIPs will also be able to enjoy discounts at concerts presented in Bourgie Hall, which opens this fall. In addition, Museum VIPs are invited to exclusive previews of major exhibitions and enjoy a discount at the Museum Boutique. The Museum’s 2011 programming and the many upcoming events organized in connection with the opening of the new Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art in the fall have generated considerable interest, which has been reflected in an increase in membership subscriptions. In 2010‐2011, the membership renewal rate has been exceptional, rising to 77%. The VIP category for people aged 25 and under, created in 2010, is the one with the highest growth rate, rising from 1,000 to 3,000 members between February and April 2011. In May, members belonging to this new Museum VIP category and their guests will be invited to a special evening at the Museum. Since 1991, the number of VIP members at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts has almost doubled.
