Museum attendance

The 100 most popular art museums in the world—who has recovered and who is still struggling?

Our exclusive Visitor Figures 2022 survey shows that numbers in Paris and Seoul were almost back to normal last year, while other major centres such as London struggled to hit pre-pandemic levels

Lee Cheshire and José da Silva. Research conducted by Alex Colville and Justin Kamp

Revealed: the top 20 most popular art museums on social media in 2023

We look at how the 100 most-visited museums in our Visitor Figures survey performed online

Aimee Dawson. Research conducted by Chinma Johnson-Nwosu

Will China’s museums still come out on top despite harsh Covid rules?

For much of 2022, Chinese cities were either in lockdown or braced for one

Two years on, London museums are still missing visitors—what's happened?

For the capital’s museums, historically so reliant on international tourists, recovery from the pandemic has been slow

What has happened to visitor numbers at Russian museums since the start of the war?

As Russia leaves the world cultural stage following its invasion of Ukraine, we look at how its art institutions have reacted

A museum in a cargo lorry: Tate takes art on the road in Liverpool

The new Art Explora 'Mobile Museum' is on a ten-week tour in the north of England to make art more accessible

Visitor figures: how many people are actually returning to London museums post-lockdown?

We asked English institutions to provide figures for the four-week period from 17 May to gauge current demand

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

Emily Sharpe and José da Silva. With additional reporting by Martin Bailey. Research conducted by Federico Florian and Victoria Stapley-Brown

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

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

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

Louvre to open non-stop over closing weekend of Leonardo blockbuster show

Free entry—plus coffee and madeleines—promised for nocturnal visitors in a move that will allow an extra 30,000 people to see the exhibition

Influx of millions of Chinese tourists wreaks havoc for Russian museums

Electronic visas pave the way for ever greater visitors numbers, creating major logistical problems at Tsarskoe Selo and the Hermitage

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

Podcast episode 26: Wrap star Christo and the most popular shows of 2017

We speak to the Bulgarian-born artist about his grand project for the Serpentine, and look at our annual survey of visitor figures

Taipeiarchive

Taipei takes attendance top spot with loans from China

Asian art is in the ascendancy globally, while in Europe, Salvador Dalí reigns supreme

Public Accounts Committee report critical of Victoria & Albert Museum, "Repeat visitors a sign of failure" say politicians

The verbatim account of the committee’s hearings which took place last March makes depressing reading

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

Interviewarchive

Interview with Thomas Krens: No populist, no colonialist—just loved by business

One year after the acclaimed opening, the director of New York’s Guggenheim talks about the Bilbao Guggenheim, his money-raising and his new expansion plans Spanish commentators admire the building and its success with the public but some chafe at its artistic dependence on the New York museum

The V&A introduces a £5 admission fee

Income from tickets represented about double the average weekly level of voluntary contributions.

Small dip in V&A numbers...

But Apsley House reaches record numbers following restoration

Tatearchive

Tate Gallery perseveres with rotating the collections in face of mounting criticism

New antagonism for New Displays as visitor figures drop in London