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
NewsVisitor Figures 2019
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
NewsVisitor Figures 2019
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
AnalysisVisitor Figures 2019
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?
FeatureVisitor Figures 2019
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
FeatureVisitor Figures 2019
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
AnalysisVisitor Figures 2019
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
FeatureVisitor Figures 2019
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
AnalysisVisitor Figures 2019
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
AnalysisVisitor Figures 2019
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?
AnalysisVisitor Figures 2019
Here are the most visited Old Master exhibitions of 2019
The hype surrounding major anniversary celebrations saw big turnouts for Bruegel, Leonardo and Rembrandt
AnalysisVisitor Figures 2019
Here are the ten most visited photography exhibitions of 2019
Female artists dominated the top ranks of last year's photography shows
AnalysisVisitor Figures 2019
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
AnalysisVisitor Figures 2019
Here are the ten most visited 19th century art exhibitions of 2019
Which Impressionist made the biggest impression in this category?
NewsVisitor Figures 2019
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
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'
NewsVisitor Figures 2018
Do Ho Suh has 2018's most popular contemporary art show, with 1.1 million visitors
Free exhibition of his installations at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC tops our Art's Most Popular survey
NewsVisitor Figures 2018
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
FeatureVisitor Figures 2018
Ranked: the top ten most popular shows in their categories from around the world
Including Old Masters, Contemporary, Post-Impressionist and Modern, and more
FeatureVisitor Figures 2018
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
FeatureVisitor Figures 2018
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
BlogVisitor Figures 2018
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
BlogVisitor Figures 2018
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
NewsVisitor Figures 2018
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
NewsVisitor Figures 2018
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
AnalysisVisitor Figures 2018
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
NewsVisitor Figures 2017
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
AnalysisVisitor Figures 2017
The world's most popular exhibition? Ancient sculptures in Tokyo versus Modern masters in Paris
Plus record crowds in US, UK and Australia
FeatureVisitor Figures 2017
Ranked: the top ten most popular shows in their categories from around the world
Including Old Masters, Asian, Post-Impressionist and Modern
FeatureVisitor Figures 2017
How museums can double their visitor numbers—featuring DJs at the Musée Guimet in Paris
Think differently and "belong to the public"
FeatureVisitor Figures 2017
What is the most cultured city in the US?
Think Grand Rapids, Bentonville or Houston—but not New York
NewsVisitor Figures 2017
The price of gallery-going in London—and how it compares with Paris and New York
Blockbuster shows don't come cheap
FeatureVisitor Figures 2017
Why choosing a name for an exhibition is anything but straightforward
Active or passive? With or without a colon?
AnalysisVisitor Figures 2017
Infographic: how exhibition titles compare, then and now
Can you spot the difference?
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
CommentVisitor Figures 2018
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
Brian Allen