NewsAttendance
While US museum attendance nosedived in 2020 amid pandemic, disparities in reopenings yielded a few surprises
Huntington Library in California and Crystal Bridges in Arkansas ascended to the top of the visitor figures list
InterviewVisitor Figures 2020
Going viral, the right way: what it's like running the world’s best museum social media accounts during a pandemic
We asked the people behind the Royal Academy’s Twitter, the Met’s Instagram, the Uffizi’s TikTok and the Van Gogh Museum’s Facebook account what 2020 was like for them
NewsVisitor Figures 2020
British Museum hit hardest by 2020 lockdown among UK’s big museums
Major UK institutions lost 78% of their visitors due to the pandemic last year, our research reveals
AnalysisVisitor Figures 2020
Visitor Figures 2020: top 100 art museums revealed as attendance drops by 77% worldwide
The Art Newspaper's annual survey shows how the pandemic had a devastating impact on museums around the world—but there were some silver linings
FeatureVisitor Figures 2020
Can museums really make digital visits pay?
As venues experiment with selling virtual exhibition tours, talks and workshops online, the key to success may be an emphasis on the expert, bespoke and exclusive
NewsVisitor Figures 2020
Curate-it-yourself: French museums take to social media to ask the public what they want to see in their galleries
Spurred on by the pandemic, several institutions are inviting art lovers to choose works for display
NewsVisitor Figures 2020
Who were the most Googled artists in 2020?
Search data from 84 countries last year shows that Leonardo, Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo were among the world's most popular artists
AnalysisVisitor Figures 2020
Instagram overtakes Twitter as most popular platform for museums during Covid-19 pandemic
Our global Visitor Figures survey reveals huge growth in followings online as physical doors shut to the public in 2020
Newslayoffs
Whitney lays off 15 more staff members, citing ‘extremely low’ attendance
Museum’s director notes that it may take until 2025 for tourists to return in force to New York
NewsMusée du Louvre
The Musée du Louvre—the world’s most popular art museum—saw 72% drop in visitors last year
Despite kicking off 2020 with a record-breaking Leonardo exhibition, like many museums around the world, the Parisian institution was adversely affected by coronavirus lockdowns
NewsArt Fund
Art Fund launches £1m crowdfunding appeal to help UK museums fighting for survival
After months without income due to coronavirus closures, new survey shows that museums are operating with just 25% of previous visitor numbers
InterviewMusée du Louvre
'I am not too worried by crowd problems': Louvre director predicts visitor numbers will drop by 80%
Jean-Luc Martinez believes that capitalising on the museum's permanent collection will be key to recovery
NewsMuseums & Heritage
All eyes on Asia: normality is still a long way off as museums emerge from lockdown
Visitor numbers at some of the world’s most popular art venues have nosedived and uncertainty for the future remains
Newscoronavirus
Coronavirus: Russian museums hit as Chinese tourists stay away
Russia has banned Chinese citizens from entering the country, slashing attendance at cultural institutions in Moscow and St Petersburg
NewsVisitor Figures
Louvre's Leonardo da Vinci show smashes attendance record with more than one million visitors
Previous highest figure was 540,000 people for the Eugène Delacroix show in 2018
NewsMuseums
TeamLab to open spaces in Shanghai and Macao after breaking attendance records in Tokyo
Multimedia collective's first permanent gallery in Japan was the most popular single-artist museum of 2018, beating Picasso and Van Gogh museums
NewsMusée du Louvre
Louvre defends planned switch to timed-entry tickets after Mona Lisa 'pandemonium'
Reservations will become mandatory at the world's most visited museum by the end of the year
NewsMuseums & Heritage
British Museum knocks Tate Modern off top spot as UK's most popular attraction after miscalculation
Over 300,000 visitors had been missed in the financial year 2018/19 because of 'incorrect light levels caused by a broken light fitting'
NewsArt Basel 2019
Fondation Beyeler's Young Picasso exhibition is the second most popular in the museum's history
Swiss museum extended the show to accommodate visitors to Europe for Art Basel and the Venice Biennale
NewsMuseums & Heritage
MOCA to offer free general admission after $10m gift from board president
The change has been a long-time wish for some leaders at the Los Angeles museum
NewsMuseums & Heritage
The kids are alright: Art Gallery of Ontario offers free admission for visitors 25 and under, and reduced yearly passes for all
The Canadian institution aims to double its membership and expand its audience with one-year pilot programme
AnalysisMuseums & Heritage
Nineteenth-century realists pull in mega-crowds as Russian museum attendance peaks
Exhibitions in Russia of homegrown artists attract proportionally greater numbers than blockbusters in other countries
NewsAttendance
Boom or bust for DC museums: how the US government shutdown affected visitor figures
In January, the 19 Smithsonian institutions had just 13% of the footfall they had experienced the year before
AnalysisMuseums & Heritage
Topping a million visitors: how MCA Australia broadened the appeal of contemporary art
With more than a million people through the doors annually since 2015, the museum is a case study in how to expand audiences
NewsArt's Most Popular 2019
Everything you need to know about 2018's exhibition and museum visitor figures
The Art Newspaper's exclusive annual survey ranks the world's most visited shows in 2018, looks at the rise of Instagram-friendly exhibitions, and reveals the secrets of getting into a blockbuster
FeatureArt's Most Popular 2019
Ranked: the top ten most popular shows in their categories from around the world
Including Old Masters, Contemporary, Post-Impressionist and Modern, and more
FeatureArt's Most Popular 2019
Art in the age of Instagram and the power of going viral
As visitors to exhibitions are increasingly sharing their experiences online, should curators plan shows for maximum hype?
FeatureArt's Most Popular 2019
Relax and immerse yourself... the art of experiencing museums slowly
Schemes such as Slow Art Day offer an alternative to life in the fast lane, away from the jostling crowds and selfie-takers
FeatureArt's Most Popular 2019
How global art can provide a kick-start to local economies
Special exhibitions mean big money—not only for the museums that hold them but for local businesses as well
BlogArt's Most Popular 2019
Suffering from the blockbuster blues? Here are some top tips for beating the exhibition queues
We asked museums for advice and The Art Newspaper team for their best hacks
CommentArt's Most Popular 2019
Exhibitions are a numbers game, whether we like it or not
Today's directors are focused on figures—and not always for the right reasons
BlogArt's Most Popular 2019
A dash of fashion and a pinch of gratis: the perfect recipe for a sell-out show
From creating “experiences” to being fashion-friendly, museums are getting savvy at driving visitors to their exhibitions. Here are some tricks of the trade
NewsArt's Most Popular 2019
Museum visits drop in Taipei as relations sour with China
Taiwanese museum has seen a significant decline in visitors since 2015, our Art's Most Popular research shows
NewsArt's Most Popular 2019
Heavenly figures: how two Met shows topped The Art Newspaper’s attendance survey
The New York museum's Heavenly Bodies exhibition came first even though curator “never set out to create a hit”
CommentLeaders
When it comes to museum attendance, it’s more than just a numbers game
London's National Portrait Gallery director on the way cultural institutions engage audiences and measure success
News
Louvre Abu Dhabi tops one million visitors in its first year
Leonardo da Vinci’s La Belle Ferronière will remain on loan to the museum for another year
News
High Museum of Art’s new galleries honour their public
Non-white visitors have jumped from 15% to half of the museum’s attendance in just three years
CommentFrieze London 2018
There is more to exhibitions than number-crunching
Our public institutions must hold their nerve and dare to offer audiences varied experiences, even at the expense of popular appeal
NewsPrivate Museums
Glenstone’s giant $200m expansion is ready, but will visitors come?
Collectors’ private museum, scrutinised by US Senate for limited access, could draw 100,000 people a year
AnalysisArt fairs
The disputes that blight the French antiques market
Do falling exhibitor and visitor numbers at La Biennale Paris signal the beginning of the end for this once world-class art fair?
News
Culture Pass has New Yorkers reaching for their library cards—but demand is exceeding supply
New scheme offering free tickets to some of the city’s most popular museums had thousands of responses
CommentNational Portrait Gallery
London's National Portrait Gallery’s contemporary art programme resonates more with the art world than the public
Though not as dire as first thought, visitor figures for the museum's contemporary shows have still been poor
NewsAttendance
London's National Portrait Gallery's steep decline in visitors due to counting error
“Human error” by Ipsos Retail Performance blamed for museum’s disastrous recent visitor numbers
News
More people are visiting New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art than ever before
The museum's Michelangelo show drew more half a million visitors alone
NewsArt's Most Popular
Is the UK museum boom over?
Analysis of government data and our own figures reveals a steady decline in visitors since 2014
News
The Met's new admissions fee goes into effect
Many visitors responded to the change with a shrug, although some were more critical of the mandatory charge
NewsAttendance
Why visitor numbers at two of London’s major museums have plunged
Fewer blockbusters the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery meant UK audiences stayed away
NewsExhibitions
Basquiat: Boom for Real is most popular show in Barbican’s history
More than 7,000 visitors attended over the closing weekend in London, with overall figures expected to reach more than 215,000
Comment
New Met charges are an unfair tax on tourists
The museum’s $25 admission fee discriminates against the non-New Yorkers who subsidise its huge tax privileges
News
German museums report 2.5 million drop in visitor numbers in 2016
Number of people visiting art museums in the country has dropped by 7.4 per cent
NewsExhibitions
Serpentine Galleries say that Grayson Perry show is the 'busiest' in its history
The Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever! broke records, officials insist
NewsAttendance
Venice Biennale 2017
As the art world flocks to Venice, we provide the lowdown on Christine Macel’s main show, key pavilions and collateral events
NewsAttendance
Visitor Figures 2016
The grand totals: exhibition and museum attendance numbers worldwide
NewsExhibitions
Chaos at the Louvre as blockbuster Vermeer show draws thousands of visitors
A faulty reservation system, long queues of frustrated ticket holders and threats to strike by security staff mar the opening weeks
News
Louvre attendance falls as tourists stay away from Paris
In wake of terrorist attacks the number of visitors drops to 7.3 million<br>
NewsAttendance
It's raining visitors at Lacma
Random International's Rain Room and Mapplethorpe show boost attendance to 1.4 million <br>
NewsFairs
Art fairs take on terrorism by keeping calm and carrying on
The industry is putting on a brave face in the wake of another devastating attack on a European city
NewsAttendance
Visitor Figures 2015: Jeff Koons is the toast of Paris and Bilbao
But Taipei tops the most visited exhibition list, with a show of works by the 20th-century artist Chen Cheng-po
NewsAttendance
Museums that expand get more visitors, our data analysis shows
Institutions such as the Perez Art Museum and Los Angeles County Museum of Art saw attendance skyrocket after extensive building work
NewsAttendance
It's not all about attendance: five museum directors on how they measure success
Exhibition programming is an unpredictable business when institutions take some risks
NewsAttendance
What six artists learned from career-defining shows
From Joana Vasconcelos' tampon chandelier at Venice to Elmgreen & Dragset's wishing well in Berlin, exhibitions do not just provide learning experiences for audiences
NewsAttendance
2015's most popular exhibitions by genre and city
We look at the shows that topped their categories
NewsAttendance
How David Bowie show went from hard-sell to record-breaker
After initially failing to interest international venues, the V&A’s travelling show is due to become its most popular ever
NewsAttendance
Tate Modern puts its best foot forward and pulls in the crowds
Bringing dance into galleries pushes institutions outside their comfort zones
NewsAttendance
Visitor research? There’s an app for that
Museums are using mobile technology to engage directly with their audiences and in future may use this data to boost their bottom lines too
NewsAttendance
Met clarifies ‘pay what you wish’ entry after legal settlement
The museum puts three-year-old lawsuit over entrance fees to rest and will change its signage to ask for 'suggested admission'
News
More foreigners than Brits to visit UK’s top museums
Boost for tourism as rising numbers of visitors flock to London and beyond
NewsExhibitions
Record crowds brave Moscow cold for blockbuster show
Valentin Serov exhibition is Tretyakov Gallery’s most popular in 50 years
NewsAttendance
Museum attendance in Paris plummets after terrorist attacks
Visitors to the Louvre down by 35% and Pompidou's attendance reduced by half in the weeks after the atrocities
NewsExhibitions
Nearly half a million visitors turned out for V&A’s McQueen blockbuster
The “unpredictable, dramatic and spectacular” exhibition drew crowds and celebrities during its extended run in London
NewsAttendance
Metropolitan Museum of Art breaks attendance record
More than six million people flocked to the New York institution, with Chinese fashion show a ‘sleeper’ hit
NewsAttendance
UK museum visitor numbers ‘not comparable’
Culture department says changes in data methodology stymie comparisons between latest figures and previous years<br>
NewsExhibitions
Visitor figures 2014: the world goes dotty over Yayoi Kusama
Taiwan’s National Palace Museum clinches top spot in our attendance survey, but Japanese artist’s retrospectives are a phenomenon in South America and Asia
CommentExhibitions
Blockbusters aren’t the be-all and end-all
Art exhibitions have been pulling in the crowds for centuries
ArchiveTate Modern
Tate Modern attracts record number of visitors
Tate's summer success
ArchiveSaatchi Gallery
Charles Saatchi, the comeback king: New Chelsea gallery a definitive success
Attendance figures for the the Saatchi Gallery exceed their 1 million visitor goal
ArchiveLeonardo da Vinci
Art's Most Popular: Single work by Leonardo attracts over 10,000 Japanese viewers a day
For the fourth year the Tokyo National Museum has the highest exhibition attendance, but is only 17th in our list of the most visited museums last year
ArchiveMusée du Louvre
Is Dan Brown to thank for increased attendance at the Louvre?
The Da Vinci effect
ArchiveExhibitions
Behind the scenes at MoMA with John Elderfield and Kirk Varnedoe
Exhibitions, projects, budgets, and attendance at the Museum of Modern Art in New York
ArchiveMuseo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
Madrid's Thyssen Bornemisza Museum appeals to the ladies, visitor figures find
Dutch Landscape exhibition proves popular
ArchiveVenice Biennale
Attendance and profits of the Venice Biennale's 49th edition
This year marks a comeback, but there is still room for improvement
CommentMuseums
Eight ways museums could make the most of the coronavirus crisis
Failure to seize this opportunity to make changes would be a graver error than any breach of etiquette
Adrian Ellis