The Holburne Museum of Art will axe its £5 entrance fee when it reopens in 2011.
The University of Bath museum will finance the move through charging for temporary exhibitions, income from the garden cafe and shop, and the hire of the building for events.
The museum's £10.8m capital development project includes a glass extension at the rear of the institution and a new archive and study room.
"The museums that have done best are those that have introduced free entry with a new building," said museum director Alexander Sturgis.
"Those to have done that have seen their numbers rise enormously."
The University of Bath museum will finance the move through charging for temporary exhibitions, income from the garden cafe and shop, and the hire of the building for events.
The museum's £10.8m capital development project includes a glass extension at the rear of the institution and a new archive and study room.
"The museums that have done best are those that have introduced free entry with a new building," said museum director Alexander Sturgis.
"Those to have done that have seen their numbers rise enormously."
