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NewsCoronavirusLiveArt marketMuseums & heritageBook ClubPodcastsDiaryVan Gogh blogThe Year Ahead 2021
NewsCoronavirusLiveArt marketMuseums & heritageBook ClubPodcastsDiaryVan Gogh blogThe Year Ahead 2021
NewsCoronavirusLiveArt marketMuseums & heritageBook ClubPodcastsDiaryVan Gogh blogThe Year Ahead 2021

Art's Most Popular

The Art Newspaper has published its annual attendance survey for more than two decades. While data collected for this year’s report reflects the usual fluctuations in visitor numbers worldwide, the period predates the widespread effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Next year we may find that Art’s Most Popular is measured more by digital engagement than footfall.

Art's Most Popular: here are 2019's most visited shows and museums

Analysis
Art'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?

Emily Sharpe and José da Silva. Research compiled by Valentina Bin, Erin Irwin and Vanessa Thill

When did just looking at art lose its appeal?

Feature
Art'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

Dale Berning Sawa

Mo people, mo problems: when busy shows go wrong

Feature
Art'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

Emily Sharpe

Which museums have the biggest social media followings?

Analysis
Art'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

Aimee Dawson

Legoland vs the Louvre: how do museums stack up against other popular visitor attractions and public events?

Feature
Art'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

Helen Stoilas

The exceptional piece of calligraphy at the centre of one of 2019's most popular—and most controversial—exhibitions

News
Art'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

Emily Sharpe

Manga beats Rembrandt and Captain Cook to be named the British Museum’s most popular show last year

News
Art'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

Emily Sharpe

What were the most visited ticketed shows in London, Paris and New York last year?

Analysis
Art'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

José da Silva

Here are 2019's most visited contemporary art exhibitions

Analysis
Art'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?

Ben Luke

Here are the most visited Old Master exhibitions of 2019

Analysis
Art'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

Donald Lee

Here are the ten most visited photography exhibitions of 2019

Analysis
Art'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

Ben Luke

Here are the ten most popular Post-Impressionist and Modern art exhibitions of 2019

Analysis
Art'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

Ben Luke

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

Analysis
Art'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?

Donald Lee

As coronavirus shuts down the capital, our survey shows 2019 was the busiest year for London museums this century

News
Art'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

José da Silva

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