NewsArt's Most Popular 2020
The exceptional piece of calligraphy at the centre of one of 2019's most popular—and most controversial—exhibitions
Tokyo National Museum’s show on Chinese artist Yan Zhenqing ranks 15th in our latest visitor attendance survey despite contentious loan from Taipei museum
NewsArt's Most Popular 2020
Manga beats Rembrandt and Captain Cook to be named the British Museum’s most popular show last year
The exhibition on the global phenomenon was the largest ever to be staged outside Japan
AnalysisArt's Most Popular 2020
Art's Most Popular: here are 2019's most visited shows and museums
Ai Weiwei was a hit in Brazil, records were broken in London and Paris—but is this the final year of museum visitor growth?
FeatureArt's Most Popular 2020
When did just looking at art lose its appeal?
Sleep in Hopper’s motel room or dive into Monet’s pond—museums are increasingly going beyond traditional exhibition formats to attract visitors
FeatureArt's Most Popular 2020
Mo people, mo problems: when busy shows go wrong
The cost of producing crowd-pulling shows can outstrip the cash they bring in. Here are some of the downsides of being just too popular
AnalysisArt's Most Popular 2020
Which museums have the biggest social media followings?
Increasingly, the digital sphere is a new frontier for institutions to battle it out for the attention of culture-seekers
FeatureArt's Most Popular 2020
Legoland vs the Louvre: how do museums stack up against other popular visitor attractions and public events?
They might not always draw the crowds that flock to malls and amusement parks, but museums are seen as valuable additions to communities—even by people who have never stepped foot in one
AnalysisArt's Most Popular 2020
What were the most visited ticketed shows in London, Paris and New York last year?
Londoners stuck to the tried-and-tested and New Yorkers showed their patriotic sides, while Parisians were drawn in by golden treasures
AnalysisArt's Most Popular 2020
Here are 2019's most visited contemporary art exhibitions
Jean-Michel Basquiat brought in big crowds in Paris—but who beat him to claim the top spot?
AnalysisArt's Most Popular 2020
Here are the most visited Old Master exhibitions of 2019
The hype surrounding major anniversary celebrations saw big turnouts for Bruegel, Leonardo and Rembrandt
AnalysisArt's Most Popular 2020
Here are the ten most visited photography exhibitions of 2019
Female artists dominated the top ranks of last year's photography shows
AnalysisArt's Most Popular 2020
Here are the ten most popular Post-Impressionist and Modern art exhibitions of 2019
Big names such as Munch, Klimt and Van Gogh dominate the rankings, but a couple of lesser-known artists did surprisingly well
AnalysisArt's Most Popular 2020
Here are the ten most visited 19th century art exhibitions of 2019
Which Impressionist made the biggest impression in this category?
NewsArt's Most Popular 2020
As coronavirus shuts down the capital, our survey shows 2019 was the busiest year for London museums this century
Last year also saw record attendances at both Tate Modern and Tate Britain
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
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'
NewsExhibitions
Dior show smashes total attendance record at the V&A—but Alexander McQueen exhibition had more daily visitors
Exhibition of the late French designer had 594,000 visitors overall but was on for seven months
NewsExhibitions
Crowd control: Louvre to enforce timed tickets in run-up to Leonardo da Vinci blockbuster
Reservations will mainly be online as French museum anticipates record visitor figures
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
AnalysisArt's Most Popular 2019
Art's Most Popular: here are 2018's most visited shows and museums
Fashion continues upward trend in the US, shooting to the top of The Art Newspaper's chart, while the British Museum slips from the top spot in the UK
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
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
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
NewsArt's Most Popular
Art's Most Popular: exhibition and museum visitor figures 2017
The Art Newspaper's exclusive annual survey ranks the world's most visited shows, reveals the most cultured city in the US, and explains the secrets behind naming a blockbuster
AnalysisArt's Most Popular
The world's most popular exhibition? Ancient sculptures in Tokyo versus Modern masters in Paris
Plus record crowds in US, UK and Australia
FeatureArt's Most Popular
Ranked: the top ten most popular shows in their categories from around the world
Including Old Masters, Asian, Post-Impressionist and Modern
FeatureArt's Most Popular
How museums can double their visitor numbers—featuring DJs at the Musée Guimet in Paris
Think differently and "belong to the public"
FeatureArt's Most Popular
What is the most cultured city in the US?
Think Grand Rapids, Bentonville or Houston—but not New York
NewsArt's Most Popular
The price of gallery-going in London—and how it compares with Paris and New York
Blockbuster shows don't come cheap
FeatureArt's Most Popular
Why choosing a name for an exhibition is anything but straightforward
Active or passive? With or without a colon?
AnalysisArt's Most Popular
Infographic: how exhibition titles compare, then and now
Can you spot the difference?
BlogDiary of an art historian
How abolishing museum image fees could boost audiences
New research shows that image licensing is barely profitable for some UK museums
ArchiveTate
Longer shows pay off for Tate as Matisse brings in the numbers
The Cut-Outs retrospective was seen by 563,000 visitors
ArchiveTate
Tate Modern loses top museum slot by a hair
The gallery was beaten to the post by the British Museum
ArchiveMuseums & Heritage
A not so golden Olympics- tourist numbers drop
London’s leading museums lose more than a million visitors during the Games, but Hirst helps Tate Modern buck the trend
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
ArchiveJohan Zoffany
Zoffany at Tate cancelled
The 2010 exhibition may instead be shown at the Royal Academy
ArchiveTate
Tate aims to increase ethnic minority visitors
In the current funding agreement with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the gallery’s “Diversity strategy” is described as a “key priority”
ArchiveRoyal Academy of Arts
Royal Academy and Tate exhibitions heading for top attendance
“Turks: A journey of a thousand years 600-1600” and “Turner, Whistler, Monet” have been wildly successful
ArchiveFundraising
National Audit Office Report: Decline in museum fundraising, while Tate outperforms other London museums
The breakdown of museum funding is now available
ArchiveTate
Tate and National Gallery visitors down since museums became free
Government policy promotes Free Admission
ArchiveTate Modern
Fantastic figures shape Tate Modern’s birthday
First year of success for Tate Modern
ArchiveVictoria & Albert Museum
Victoria & Albert Museum: too posh for the people?
A National Audit Office Report concludes that visitors are discouraged from visiting the institution because of its “highbrow” image
ArchiveTate Modern
Visitor figures fall by one-third at “old” Tate since Tate Modern opening
Relaunch in October 2001 intended to bring back the public
ArchiveCultural policy
Controversy over "ethnic targets" at British national museums
The government wants to set precise goals for the number of ethnic minority visitors to museums and make funding dependent on achieving them
ArchiveTate Liverpool
More Tate of the North
600,000 visitors a year and £3.8 million from the National Lottery
ArchiveMuseo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
Madrid's Thyssen Bornemisza Museum appeals to the ladies, visitor figures find
Dutch Landscape exhibition proves popular
ArchiveVisitor Figures
Record visitor figures for Tate and V&A
Successful visitor figures for 1994
ArchiveTate St Ives
Happy First Birthday, Tate St Ives
A first year of success for Cornish gallery
ArchiveSalvador Dalí
Interview with Antonio Pitxot on Dalí: Portrait of the artist as a young man
The artist's long time friend sheds light on the artist as he was, ahead of the Hayward Gallery exhibition on his early works
ArchiveVisitor Figures
Healthy visitor numbers at Tate and Louvre
Paris and London
ArchiveVenice Biennale
Attendance and profits of the Venice Biennale's 49th edition
This year marks a comeback, but there is still room for improvement
ArchiveTate
Tate Gallery perseveres with rotating the collections in face of mounting criticism
New antagonism for New Displays as visitor figures drop in London
ArchiveTate
Ro-Tate: Tate's rehang success with 1,500,000 visitors in attendance
It’s all change at the Tate Gallery, as part of Nick Serota’s policy of rotating the collections
CommentMuseums & Heritage
It's back to school for the art world—here's why you shouldn't just rush to the blockbusters
From William Blake at Tate Britain to Gauguin at the National Gallery, London's museums are opening their biggest exhibitions this month—but how much are you really able to enjoy them?
Ben Luke