ABOVE: detail from Hugh Barron’s The Children of George Bond of Ditchleys (1768), in the Tate Britain collection. In a bid to get the kids through the door, the Tate Modern announced that admission to its big summer Frida Kahlo show will be free for everyone under 18.

The Tate Modern announced yesterday that they’re going to let everyone under 18 into its “Frida Kahlo” show at no cost this summer. For some people, that’s probably an excellent reason to stay the hell away, but it seems likely that only the polite and bookish kids will wander in by choice, or perhaps moody, sullen teenagers with sketchbooks full of ballpoint drawings of bleeding eyes; either way, they’ll both be reasonably quiet. It’s the school groups, clutches of 30 little twits who’d rather be at home with their PlayStations, who make public gallery-going a blood-curdling experience for the unfortunate weekday visitor.

But we digress. Obviously, anything that gets kids into art galleries is a good idea, and the choice of the Kahlo show, the website of which describes its “celebrated portraits” and “lush and erotic still-life paintings,” will probably sound dirty enough to make the whole thing seem rather rebellious and covert. The press release added that the members’ committee is going to raise £100,000 to spend on underserved kids’ groups, including kids under 5. If it works this summer, the museums say they will extend the free admission scheme to future exhibits as well.

LINK: Press Release > Tate celebrates 5th Anniversary of Tate Modern with increased access for young people