Digital Editions
Newsletters
Subscribe
Digital Editions
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Visitor Figures 2019
analysis

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?

Ben Luke
31 March 2020
Share
Untitled (1982) by Basquiat, who drew big crowds in Paris © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat/Licensed by Artestar, New York

Untitled (1982) by Basquiat, who drew big crowds in Paris © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat/Licensed by Artestar, New York

The Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil has long been a fixture in this category, but Ai Weiwei gives the gallery its first chart-topper since 2016. It has free entry and long opening hours—9am to 9pm—but, still, more than 9,000 visitors a day to Ai’s show is a remarkable number. Five other free shows attest to their power in introducing audiences to less widely celebrated artists than Ai, such as Tiffany Chung and Trevor Paglen. But the top ten features only four institutions, with the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo making big gains: only one of the gallery’s shows was in the top ten last year. Perhaps the standout number is the 676,503 visitors who paid to see Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Foundation in Paris. Notably, that is almost 2,000 more per day than for the free show of the US artist’s work in Rio. Basquiat now stands alongside Picasso and Van Gogh as a blockbuster artist.

Top 10 contemporary art exhibitions

• For The Art Newspaper’s full Art’s Most Popular visitor figures survey, see our April issue. To read a selection online, see Art’s Most Popular 2020

Visitor Figures 2019ExhibitionsAi WeiweiJean-Michel BasquiatArt's Most PopularVisitor FiguresTrevor PaglenTiffany ChungAttendance
Share
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Data protection
Privacy policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Subscription T&Cs
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Instagram
Bluesky
LinkedIn
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
© The Art Newspaper

Related content

Visitor Figures 2018news
27 March 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

The Art Newspaper
Visitor Figures 2019analysis
31 March 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

Ben Luke
Visitor Figures 2019analysis
31 March 2020

Here are the ten most visited 19th century art exhibitions of 2019

Which Impressionist made the biggest impression in this category?

Donald Lee
Visitor Figures 2019analysis
31 March 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

Donald Lee