Ai Weiwei was a hit in Brazil, records were broken in London and Paris—but is this the final year of museum visitor growth?

Sleep in Hopper’s motel room or dive into Monet’s pond—museums are increasingly going beyond traditional exhibition formats to attract visitors

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

Increasingly, the digital sphere is another frontier where institutions battle it out for the attention of culture-seekers

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

Londoners stuck to the tried-and-tested and New Yorkers showed their patriotic sides, while Parisians were drawn in by golden treasures

Jean-Michel Basquiat brought in big crowds in Paris—but who beat him to claim the top spot?

The hype surrounding major anniversary celebrations saw big turnouts for Bruegel, Leonardo and Rembrandt

Female artists dominated the top ranks of last year's photography shows

Big names such as Munch, Klimt and Van Gogh dominate the rankings, but a couple of lesser-known artists did surprisingly well

Which Impressionist made the biggest impression in this category?

Last year also saw record attendances at both Tate Modern and Tate Britain

Previous highest figure was 540,000 people for the Eugène Delacroix show in 2018

Reservations will become mandatory at the world's most visited museum by the end of the year

Over 300,000 visitors had been missed in the financial year 2018/19 because of 'incorrect light levels caused by a broken light fitting'

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?

Exhibition of the late French designer had 594,000 visitors overall but was on for seven months

Reservations will mainly be online as French museum anticipates record 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

Including Old Masters, Contemporary, Post-Impressionist and Modern, and more

As visitors to exhibitions are increasingly sharing their experiences online, should curators plan shows for maximum hype?

Schemes such as Slow Art Day offer an alternative to life in the fast lane, away from the jostling crowds and selfie-takers

Special exhibitions mean big money—not only for the museums that hold them but for local businesses as well

We asked museums for advice and The Art Newspaper team for their best hacks

Today's directors are focused on figures—and not always for the right reasons

From creating “experiences” to being fashion-friendly, museums are getting savvy at driving visitors to their exhibitions. Here are some tricks of the trade

Taiwanese museum has seen a significant decline in visitors since 2015, our Art's Most Popular research shows

The New York museum's Heavenly Bodies exhibition came first even though curator “never set out to create a hit”

London's National Portrait Gallery director on the way cultural institutions engage audiences and measure success

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