n Paris, London andMoscow young museumshave toppled long-estab-lished ones from the topof the exhibition tree ineach respective city. Butglobally Japan’s museumsremain in a league of their ownwhen it comes to organisingblockbuster exhibitions. In

The Art Newspaper

’s 15th annualsurvey of attendance figuresthree Tokyo museums andone in Nara, 300 miles southwest of the capital, fill the topfour places.As in 2008, the average visi-tor-per-day statistics from Japanare staggering. When the TokyoNational Museum displayed

Ashura

, one of the nation’s mostfamous Buddhist statues, alongwith other treasures from theKohfukuji temple, Nara, onaverage 15,960 people a daywent to see them. In Nara itself,the capital of Japan in the eighthcentury, almost the same num-ber of people went daily to seeShoso-in treasures, whichincluded objects belonging toEmperor Shomu (701-756), atthe Nara National Museum.When the Tokyo NationalMuseum borrowed treasuresfrom the Imperial Collection tomark the 20th anniversary of thecoronation of Emperor Akihito,it attracted a “mere” 9,473visitors a day.The huge crowds flocking tosee Japan’s spiritual treasures hasa spiritual as well as artisticdimension—with some peoplepraying in front of the objects inthe museums. This phenomenonwasthesubjectofasymposiumatthe Tokyo National Museum lastmonth. Greg Irvine, the seniorcurator in the Japanese depart-ment of the Victoria and AlbertMuseum, London, who attendedthe symposium and the

Ashura

exhibition, says the popularity of such shows is increasing, and itmirrors the popularity of opendays in the temples. “The negoti-ations involved in getting [suchtreasures] to the museum are end-less,” he says.European old master paintingsremain a big draw in Japan. TheNational Museum of WesternArt, Tokyo, borrowed paintingsfrom the Louvre, including workby Rembrandt, Poussin andVelázquez, to celebrate its 50thanniversary. The show attractedmore than 850,000 visitors.There is a museum new to theblockbuster list in fifth place:the Musée Quai Branly in Paris.The ethnographic museumattracted an average of 7,868visitors a day to the second edi-tion of its Photoquai Biennale, acelebration of international pho-tography, just ahead of “Picassoand the Masters” at the GrandPalais.Athird show in Paris, thePompidou’s “Kandinsky”,proved almost as popular, whichput the venue in seventh place, arise of 30 places on itsGiacometti show in 2008.In terms of strength in depthfrom one institution, New York’sMuseum of Modern Art(MoMA) is unrivalled. In 2009its exhibitions provided seven of the top 16 shows. Joan Miróattracted 6,299 visitors a day,and Pipilotti Rist’s “Pour YourBody Out (7345 Cubic Meters)”,a sensuous multi-mediamakeover of its otherwise chillyatrium, attracted almost the samenumber of visitors. “Van Goghand the Colours of the Night”attracted more than 436,000 vis-itors in total, but when the aver-age visitor per day is calculated,the show comes after JamesEnsor, Ron Arad, MartinKippenberger and MarleneDumas exhibitions. This may bereflection of the effectiveness of MoMA’s timed-entry ticketingfor Van Gogh, however. Stayingin the US, the MetropolitanMuseum of Art’s “Vermeer’sMasterpiece

The Milkmaid

”, thelatter on loan from theRijksmuseum,Amsterdam, camenext after MoMA’s best seven.In recent years, the RoyalAcademy of Arts, the BritishMuseum, Tate and the NationalGallery have staged London’scrowd-pulling exhibitions. But in2009,asinParis,anewkidontheblock jumped to pole position.The gallery of collector CharlesSaatchi, rehoused in the formerDuke of York’s barracks, hasshifted the centre of gravity west-ward in London to fashionableChelsea. The new gallery’s open-ing exhibition, “The RevolutionContinues: NewArt from China”,and its follow-up, “Unveiled:New Art from the Middle East”,put it in first and third spot in theUK list. Tate Modern’s Rothkoexhibition, albeit a charging showwhereas the Saatchi Gallery’s arefree, came eighth in the UK list-ings. TheNationalGallery’s“Corot toMonet” showwas ninth.In secondplace in theUK is a muse-um neverbefore ranked inour survey.Bristol’s munici-pal museum and art gallerywas “remixed” by its localstreet artist made good:Banksy. Nearly 4,000 peo-ple a day turned out to seethe results, trumping theLondon-based nationals.In Melbourne,Australia,as in Bristol in the west of England, people who donot ordinarily go to muse-ums were tempted bySalvador Dalí at the NationalGallery of Victoria. TheSpanish surrealistdrew 332,000 people, just short of the art museum’srecord set in 2004 with animpressionist show. JoaquínSorolla does not rank among thegiants of Spanish art, and yet anexhibition of his narrative paint-ings and portraits of the late 19thand early 20th century broke aten-year-old attendance record atthe Museo del Prado, Madrid.In Moscow, the new GarageCentre for Contemporary Artwas the most visited venue inthe Russian capital, attractingthree times the number of visitors per day to the MoscowBiennial than the Tretyakov didwith a thematic exhibition of flowers in Russian art.A sl a r g e -s c a l eexhibitionscan takeseveral yearsto prepare, theeffects of thef i n a n c i a lrecession—andthe scarcity of business spon-sorship to mountthem—will begin tobecome apparent in nextyear’s list. The silver liningfor many museums duringa tough 2009 funding wisehas been that total atten-dance figures have gener-ally held firm or dippedonly slightly.

Javier Pes

Figures compiled by Emily Sharpe and HelenStoilas with Rob Curran, Megan Empey, Alessandra Franzi, James Hobbs and Josephine VonPerfal

Japan’s love of exhibitions proves recession-proof

Change at the top of the European blockbuster tree in Paris, London and Moscow, but business as usual in New York

15,960

946,172

Ashura

andMasterpiecesfromKohfukuji

TokyoNationalMuseumTokyo31Mar-7Jun

14,965

299,294

61stAnnualExhibitionofShoso-inTreasures

NaraNationalMuseumNara24Oct-2Nov

9,473

447,944

TreasuresoftheImperialCollections

TokyoNationalMuseumTokyo6Oct-29Nov

9,267

851,256

17th-centuryPaintingfromtheLouvre

NationalMuseumofWesternArtTokyo28Feb-14Jun

7,868

419,256

2ndPhotoquaiBiennale

MuséeQuaiBranlyParis22Sep-22Nov

7,270

783,352

PicassoandtheMasters

GrandPalaisParis8Oct08-2Feb

6,553

703,000

Kandinsky

CentrePompidouParis8Apr-10Aug

6,299

377,068

JoanMiró:PaintingandAnti-Painting

MuseumofModernArtNewYork2Nov08-12Jan

6,186

391,476

PipilottiRist:PourYourBodyOut

MuseumofModernArtNewYork19Nov08-2Feb

5,609

390,219

TreasuresoftheHabsburgMonarchy

NationalArtCenterTokyoTokyo25Sep-14Dec

5,137

379,408

JamesEnsor

MuseumofModernArtNewYork28Jun-21Sep

5,128

347,995

RonArad:NoDiscipline

MuseumofModernArtNewYork2Aug-19Oct

4,945

305,894

MartinKippenberger:ProblemPerspective

MuseumofModernArtNewYork1Mar-11May

4,939

51,505

12thJapanMediaArtsFestival

NationalArtCenterTokyoTokyo4Feb-5Feb

4,864

266,821

MarleneDumas:MeasuringYourOwnGrave

MuseumofModernArtNewYork14Dec08-16Feb

4,856

436,343

VanGoghandtheColoursoftheNight

MuseumofModernArtNewYork21Sep08-5Jan

4,820

459,267

JoaquínSorolla

MuseoNacionaldelPradoMadrid26May-13Sep

4,735

329,446

Vermeer’sMasterpiece

The Milkmaid

MetropolitanMuseumofArtNewYork10Sep-29Nov

4,735

317,233

Afghanistan:HiddenTreasuresfromKabul

MuseumofFineArtsHouston1Mar-17May

4,717

408,990

FrankLloydWright:fromWithinOutward

GuggenheimMuseumNewYork15May-23Aug

4,688

474,821

Warhol’sWideWorld

GrandPalaisParis18Mar-13Jul

4,533

323,132

AernoutMik

MuseumofModernArtNewYork6May-27Jul

4,486

450,521

Picasso-Manet

Muséed’OrsayParis8Oct08-1Feb

4,416

473,800

AlexanderCalder

CentrePompidouParis18Mar-20Jul

4,303

151,833

MasterpiecesofZenCulturefromMyoshinji

TokyoNationalMuseumTokyo20Jan-1Mar

4,178

448,208

Egypt:theGreatCivilisation

NationalMuseumofKoreaSeoul28Apr-30Aug

4,150

256,714

IntotheSunset

MuseumofModernArtNewYork29Mar-8Jun

4,139

405,612

TheRevolutionContinues

SaatchiGalleryLondon9Oct08-18Jan

3,927

129,583

SixBillionOthers

GrandPalaisNaveParis10Jan-12Feb

3,859

308,719

BanksyvsBristolMuseum

CityMuseumandArtGalleryBristol13Jun-31Aug

DailyTotalExhibitionVenueCityDates

Tokyo’s top draw:

Ashura

statue and other national treasures from the Kohfukuji temple, Nara

CONTINUED PP

24-29

All figures were calculatedautomatically by our database,which computes the number ofdays an exhibition was open usingthe following formula: total numberof days between start date and enddate, divided by seven, multipliedby the number of days per weekthe institution is open, minus excep-tional closures. As this formulaalways produces an imperfect num-ber (a division of seven) all figuresare out by a potential margin of 2%.As the same margin applies uni-formly to all averages given, the listrepresents a fair comparison, how-ever. All data used was supplied bythe institutions concerned. Manyinstitutions have one ticket for theentire museum and cannot provideindividual attendance for temporaryexhibitions. Some institutions offer anumber of exhibitions for a singleticket: these are shown as oneentry. Institutions with more thanone building were asked to provideseparate total museum attendancefigures for each venue. Thesevenues are marked with an asterisk(*). Institutions that could not pro-vide separate figures were exclud-ed from this portion of the survey.

Methodology

Exhibition and museum attendance figures

2009

THE ART NEWSPAPER, No. 212, APRIL 2010

THETOP30EXHIBITIONS

Nara’s

Ashura

I m a g e c o u r t e s y o f T o k y o N a t i o n a l M u s e u m

3,859

261,869

In&OutofAmsterdam

MuseumofModernArtNewYork19Jul-5Oct

3,854

241,683

TheStudioSessions

SFMoMASanFrancisco3Jul-13Sep

3,828

363,702

Unveiled:NewArtfromtheMiddleEast

SaatchiGalleryLondon30Jan-9May

3,762

189,717

InPraiseofShadows

IrishMuseumofModernArtDublin5Nov08-4Jan

3,743

221,892

ChildrenintheLouvreCollection

NationalArtCenterTokyoTokyo25Mar-1Jun

3,729

284,444

PaulGauguin

NationalMuseumofModernArtTokyo3Jul-23Sep

3,660

483,156

JuanMuñoz

ReinaSofíaMadrid21Apr-31Aug

3,621

298,459

TheModelasMuse:EmbodyingFashion

MetropolitanMuseumofArtNewYork6May-9Aug

3,604

277,473

AnishKapoor

RoyalAcademyofArtsLondon26Sep-11Dec

3,592

230,914

Theanyspacewhatever

GuggenheimMuseumNewYork24Oct08-7Jan

3,564

210,304

Avant-gardes’20-’60

VanGoghMuseumAmsterdam26Jun-23Aug

3,536

306,661

GeorgiaO’KeeffeandAnselAdams

SFMoMASanFrancisco30May-7Sep

3,488

123,065

KayamaMatazoRetrospective1927-2004

NationalArtCenterTokyoTokyo21Jan-2Mar

3,438

332,520

SalvadorDalí:LiquidDesire

NationalGalleryofVictoriaMelbourne12Jun-4Oct

3,349

207,636

ReturntoManhattan

RijksmuseumAmsterdam1Apr-1Jun

3,345

229,837

TheThirdMind

GuggenheimMuseumNewYork30Jan-19Apr

3,315

332,872

MysteryandBrilliance

Muséed’OrsayParis8Oct08-1Feb

3,313

284,453

LookingIn:RobertFrank’s“TheAmericans”

SFMoMASanFrancisco16May-23Aug

3,295

251,859

FrancisBacon:aCentenaryRetrospective

MetropolitanMuseumofArtNewYork20May-16Aug

3,292

560,518

CaiGuo-Qiang

GuggenheimBilbao17Mar-20Sep

3,270

202,276

LeónFerrari&MiraSchendel

MuseumofModernArtNewYork5Apr-15Jun

3,239

289,230

Murakami

GuggenheimBilbao17Feb-31May

3,238

205,362

Artist’sChoice:VikMuniz,Rebus

MuseumofModernArtNewYork11Dec08-23Feb

3,226

100,000

3rdMoscowBiennaleofContemporaryArt

GarageCentreMoscow25Sep-25Oct

3,141

298,420

BPPortraitAward

NationalPortraitGalleryLondon18Jun-20Sep

3,121

387,000

Pollock

PinacothèqueParis15Oct08-15Feb

3,104

403,469

TheFirstEmperor:China’sTerracottaArmy

HighMuseumofArtAtlanta16Nov08-19Apr

3,099

303,741

SerpentineGalleryPavilion

SerpentineGalleryLondon11Jul-16Oct

3,090

256,508

OurGuest:Vermeer

RijksmuseumAmsterdam11Mar-1Jun

3,074

116,363

GreatTreasuresofCourtCulture

KyotoNationalMuseumKyoto10Jan-22Feb

3,056

262,800

AccommodatingNature:FrankGohlke

SmithsonianAmericanArtMuseum

Washington5Dec08-3Mar

3,038

107,203

100thAnniversaryofKoreanMuseums

NationalMuseumofKoreaSeoul29Sep-8Nov

3,002

213,987

PierreBonnard:theLateInteriors

MetropolitanMuseumofArtNewYork27Jan-19Apr

2,991

274,750

NotNewWork:VincentFecteauSelects

SFMoMASanFrancisco25Jul-8Nov

2,969

442,436

CyTwombly:theNaturalWorld

ArtInstituteofChicagoChicago16May-11Oct

2,961

257,600

JeanShin:CommonThreads

SmithsonianAmericanArtMuseum

Washington1May-26Jul

2,948

356,310

RichardAvedon

SFMoMASanFrancisco11Jul-29Nov

2,938

314,363

125Favourites

VanGoghMuseumAmsterdam3Oct08-18Jan

2,925

664,000

Tutankhamun

DallasMuseumofArtDallas3Oct08-17May

2,882

185,252

FrancisBacon

MuseoNacionaldelPradoMadrid3Feb-19Apr

2,877

368,283

TsarsandtheEast

FreerandSacklerGalleriesWashington9May-13Sep

2,876

529,154

TheTaleofShutenDoji

FreerandSacklerGalleriesWashington21Mar-20Sep

2,835

323,139

JunNguyen-Hatsushiba/FionaTan

FreerandSacklerGalleriesWashington14Mar-5Jul

2,795

318,653

ShahziaSikander/SunXun

FreerandSacklerGalleriesWashington18Jul-8Nov

2,793

460,000

HarryBurtonandtheTombofTutankhamun

MichaelC.CarlosMuseumAtlanta15Nov08-25May

2,769

223,521

Sensate:BodiesandDesign

SFMoMASanFrancisco7Aug-8Nov

2,760

273,236

TaylorWessingPhotographicPortraitPrize

NationalPortraitGalleryLondon6Nov08-15Feb

2,754

255,322

AlltheHistoriesofArt

GuggenheimBilbao3Oct08-18Jan

2,727

332,679

ADayinPompeii

MelbourneMuseumMelbourne26Jun-25Oct

2,700

150,806

Gauguin

Nagoya/BostonMuseumNagoya18Apr-21Jun

2,699

220,137

CézanneandBeyond

PhiladelphiaMuseumofArtPhiladelphia26Feb-31May

2,697

323,645

ContemporaryPhotography

ArtInstituteofChicagoChicago16May-13Sep

2,651

270,000

TheTreasureofUlyssesDavis

HighMuseumofArtAtlanta6Dec08-5Apr

2,647

195,477

TheRomanEmpire

NationalMuseumofWesternArtTokyo19Sep-13Dec

DailyTotalExhibitionVenueCityDates

DECORATIVEARTSTOPTEN

ThespiritofDianaVreeland,whoputtheMetropolitanMuseumofArt’scostumecollectionontheblockbustermap,liveson.TheNewYorkmuse-um'sfashionexhibition“TheModelasMuse”topsthe2009decorativeartslist,eventhoughitattracted2,000visitorsperdayfewerthantheMet's2008costumeextravaganza,“Superheroes”.ThecommitmentoftheFineArtsMuseumsofSanFranciscotothedecorativeartspaiddividendswithtwoshowsinthetopten.YvesSaintLaurent(fourth)andatriplewhammyofFabergé,TiffanyandLaliqueatitsLegionofHonormuseum(ninth)collectivelydrew3,000visitorsaday.Ornateartefacts,includingahelmetfromthe16th-century(left),attheFreerandSacklerGallery’s“TsarsandtheEast”luredover368,000visitorstotheWashington,DC,museum.

J.P.

3,621

298,459

The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion

Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York6 May-9 Aug

2,877

368,283

Tsars and the East

Freer and Sackler GalleriesWashington9 May-13 Sep

2,107

117,710

“Story of ...”: Memories of Cartier Creations

Tokyo National MuseumTokyo28 Mar-31 May

1,996

261,214

Yves Saint Laurent

De Young MuseumSan Francisco1 Nov 08-5 Apr

1,853

120,990

René Lalique: a Retrospective

National Art Center TokyoTokyo24 Jun-7 Sep

1,735

119,199

Louis Vuitton: a Passion for Creation

Hong Kong Museum of ArtHong Kong22 May-9 Aug

1,561

111,249

Calder Jewellery

Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York9 Dec 08-1 Mar

1,391

114,468

Taking Shape

Getty Center Los Angeles31 Mar-5 Jul

1,170

114,481

Artistic Luxury: Fabergé, Tiffany, Lalique

Legion of HonorSan Francisco7 Feb-31 May

1,074

50,801

Underglaze Blue Porcelain Ware in Asia

Tokyo National MuseumTokyo14 Jul-6 Sep

Exhibition and museum attendance figures

2009

THE ART NEWSPAPER, No. 212, APRIL 2010

8,500,000

LouvreParis

5,569,981

British MuseumLondon

4,891,450

Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York

4,780,030

National GalleryLondon

4,747,537

Tate ModernLondon

4,605,606

National Gallery of ArtWashington

3,530,000

Centre PompidouParis

3,022,012

Musée d’OrsayParis

2,763,094

Museo Nacional del PradoMadrid

2,730,204

National Museum of KoreaSeoul

2,672,761

Museum of Modern ArtNew York

2,574,804

Taiwan Palace MuseumTaiwan

2,426,203

State Hermitage MuseumSt Petersburg

2,273,634

Tokyo National MuseumTokyo

2,269,900

Victoria and Albert MuseumLondon

2,087,415

Reina SofíaMadrid

1,961,843

National Portrait GalleryLondon

1,846,889

Art Institute of ChicagoChicago

1,840,812

De Young MuseumSan Francisco

1,572,171

Moscow Kremlin MuseumMoscow

1,530,318

Galleria degli UffiziFlorence

1,513,249

National Museum of Western ArtTokyo

1,501,837

Tate BritainLondon

1,500,000

Mori Art MuseumTokyo

1,496,438

Musée Quai BranlyParis

1,451,139

Van Gogh MuseumAmsterdam

1,368,096

Kelvingrove Art GalleryGlasgow

1,312,762

Art Gallery of New South WalesSydney

1,300,000

Children’s MuseumIndianapolis

1,283,401

State Tretyakov GalleryMoscow

1,274,774

Museum of Fine ArtsHouston

1,267,784

Royal Academy of ArtsLondon

1,263,111

Guggenheim MuseumNew York

1,260,840

Saatchi GalleryLondon

1,216,799

Palazzo DucaleVenice

1,186,493

National Portrait GalleryWashington

1,153,903

*Getty Museum (Getty Center)Los Angeles

1,140,959

Kunsthistorisches MuseumVienna

1,130,136

Galleria dell’AccademiaFlorence

1,093,000

PergamonmuseumBerlin

1,061,106

Museo PicassoBarcelona

1,002,300

Smithsonian American Art MuseumWashington

994,307

National Art Center TokyoTokyo

972,000

PinacothèqueParis

968,649

Freer and Sackler GalleriesWashington

926,545

Museum of Fine ArtsBoston

907,000

Dallas Museum of ArtDallas

905,048

GuggenheimBilbao

900,000

National Art Museum of ChinaBeijing

894,161

National Gallery ComplexEdinburgh

864,252

RijksmuseumAmsterdam

833,893

Imperial War MuseumLondon

822,537

*NGV InternationalMelbourne

822,174

Palazzo RealeMilan

812,479

Philadelphia Museum of ArtPhiladelphia

804,282

Museo Castel Sant’AngeloRome

801,890

Museo Thyssen-BornemiszaMadrid

800,000

National Portrait GalleryCanberra

782,469

National Gallery of IrelandDublin

768,886

*Ian Potter Centre: NGV AustraliaMelbourne

766,000

Art Gallery of OntarioToronto

752,588

Galerie BelvedereVienna

734,353

Serpentine GalleryLondon

733,623

Institut Valéncia d’Art Modern Valéncia

707,391

Musée d’Art Moderne de la VilleParis

703,520

SFMoMASan Francisco

695,545

LACMALos Angeles

686,176

MACBABarcelona

679,333

Musées Royaux des Beaux-ArtsBrussels

668,125

Hirshhorn MuseumWashington

641,625

Museo Centrale del RisorgimentoRome

640,320

Palazzo PittiFlorence

635,042

Nara National MuseumNara

630,000

Hermitage AmsterdamAmsterdam

625,000

Museu Colecção BerardoLisbon

624,936

AlbertinaVienna

610,371

Walker Art CenterMinneapolis

600,833

Moderna MuseetStockholm

565,088

Kunsthalle der BundesrepublikBonn

564,504

City Museum and Art GalleryBristol

558,471

Reggia di CasertaCaserta

552,445

*Queensland Art Gallery Brisbane

549,154

National Museum of Modern ArtTokyo

547,935

Museum of Contemporary ArtSydney

545,256

National Gallery of AustraliaCanberra

541,638

Tate LiverpoolLiverpool

540,035

Musée National des Beaux-artsMontreal

536,916

Gallery of Modern ArtGlasgow

535,000

High Museum of ArtAtlanta

531,000

Altes MuseumBerlin

528,781

Musei CapitoliniRome

526,115

Museum of Modern ArtMoscow

525,617

Minneapolis Institute of ArtsMinneapolis

523,000

Museo Nazionale del CinemaTurin

521,335

Museo EgizioTurin

513,775

Galleria BorgheseRome

504,488

Frederik Meijer GardensGrand Rapids

504,100

Museo di San MarcoVenice

501,837

Triennale di MilanoMilan

487,359

Museum of Fine ArtsBudapest

480,468

National Museum KrakowKrakow

480,121

*Queensland GoMABrisbane

475,045

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Humlebaek

468,963

Museum of TransportGlasgow

455,373

Israel MuseumJerusalem

455,000

GemeentemuseumThe Hague

450,000

National Archaeological Museum Athens

440,711

Musée Magritte Brussels

438,500

Istanbul ModernIstanbul

433,584

Art Gallery of South AustraliaAdelaide

421,282

National GalleryOslo

409,585

Saint Louis Art MuseumSt Louis

408,469

Manchester Art GalleryManchester

403,758

Fundaçao SerralvesPorto

400,000

Musée MaillolParis

388,063

Palazzo VecchioFlorence

387,213

Irish Museum of Modern ArtDublin

383,893

NationalmuseumStockholm

380,000

Palais des Beaux-ArtsBrussels

380,000

Museo Nazionale della ScienzaMilan

378,254

Indianapolis Museum of ArtIndianapolis

377,645

Detroit Institute of ArtsDetroit

366,755

Galleria PalatinaFlorence

364,269

Fitzwilliam MuseumCambridge

357,625

Hamburger KunsthalleHamburg

357,069

Museum of Contemporary ArtChicago

348,445

Whitechapel GalleryLondon

347,183

Peggy Guggenheim CollectionVenice

343,000

KulturforumBerlin

339,612

Legion of HonorSan Francisco

337,044

Pinacoteca di BreraMilan

336,142

Kyoto National MuseumKyoto

333,937

Gallerie dell’AccademiaVenice

332,200

Hong Kong Museum of ArtHong Kong

331,889

Castello SforzescoMilan

330,572

Tesoro di San PietroVatican City

328,773

Stadel MuseumFrankfurt

326,000

Neue NationalgalerieBerlin

325,759

Fondation Beyeler Basel

322,152

Whitney MuseumNew York

318,000

Seattle Art MuseumSeattle

314,292

Asian Art Museum

THE EXHIBITIONS

continued

TOTAL ART MUSEUM NUMBERS

THEMATIC TOP TEN

Formerly called “survey”, this category features shows that span time periods and/or categories but fall under one theme. Royal treasuresonce again reign supreme with a display in Tokyo of paintings and decorative objects created under the patronage of the Habsburgs coming top. Drawn from the collection of Vienna’s KunsthistorischesMuseum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, the exhibition contained masterpieces by Dürer, Velázquez, El Greco and Titian. Alsopopular were exhibitions focusing on shadows in art, one staged inDublin and the other in Madrid (left, Andy Warhol,

The Shadow

, 1981),ranking third and eighth respectively. Two exhibitions of works on loanfrom the Louvre's collection also make the top ten.

.S.

5,609

390,219

Treasures of the Habsburg Monarchy

National Art Center TokyoTokyo25 Sep-14 Dec

3,859

261,869

In & Out of Amsterdam

Museum of Modern ArtNew York19 Jul-5 Oct

3,762

189,717

In Praise of Shadows

Irish Museum of Modern ArtDublin5 Nov 08-4 Jan

3,743

221,892

Children in the Louvre Collection

National Art Center Tokyo25 Mar-1 Jun

3,349

207,636

Return to Manhattan

RijksmuseumAmsterdam1 Apr-1 Jun

3,345

229,837

The Third Mind

Guggenheim MuseumNew York30 Jan-19 Apr

2,754

255,322

All the Histories of Art

GuggenheimBilbao3 Oct 08-18 Jan

2,388

196,485

Shadows

Thyssen-Bornemisza/Fundación Caja

Madrid10 Feb-17 May

1,990

175,655

The Jazz Century

Musée Quai BranlyParis17 Mar-28 Jun

1,953

545,000

Louvre Atlanta

High Museum of ArtAtlanta12 Oct 08-6 Sep

CONTEMPORARY TOP TEN

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, regained its contemporary top spot in 2009. The Grand Palais Nave, Paris, displaced it in 2008 with “Images in the Night”. Pipilotti Rist's atriuminstallation (left, still, 2008), Marlene Dumas and Aernout Mik exhibi-tions, and a Martin Kippenberger survey provided four of the top fiveshows at MoMA. Tokyo's National Art Center's media arts festivaland the new Saatchi Gallery, London, filled the third and sixth spots.The street artist Banksy propelled Bristol City Museum and ArtGallery into eighth. “The Studio Sessions” at the San FranciscoMuseum of Modern Art, a new media-based show about the machi-nations of the art world, provided an unexpected ninth place.

J.P.

6,186

391,476

Pipilotti Rist: Pour Your Body Out

Museum of Modern ArtNew York19 Nov 08-2 Feb

4,945

305,894

Martin Kippenberger: Problem Perspective

Museum of Modern ArtNew York1 Mar-11 May

4,939

51,505

12th Japan Media Arts Festival

National Art Center TokyoTokyo4-15 Feb

4,864

266,821

Marlene Dumas: Measuring Your Own Grave

Museum of Modern ArtNew York14 Dec 08-16 Feb

4,533

323,132

Aernout Mik

Museum of Modern ArtNew York6 May-27 Jul

4,139

405,612

The Revolution Continues

Saatchi GalleryLondon9 Oct 08-18 Jan

3,927

129,583

Six Billion Others

Grand Palais NaveParis10 Jan-12 Feb

3,859

308,719

Banksy vs Bristol Museum

City Museum and Art GalleryBristol13 Jun-1 Aug

3,854

241,683

The Studio Sessions

SFMoMASan Francisco3 Jul-13 Sep

3,828

363,702

Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East

Saatchi GalleryLondon30 Jan-9 May

C o u r t e s y t h e a r t i s t , L u h r i n g A u g u s t i n e a n d H a u s e r & W i r t h T h e M o s c o w K r e m l i n M u s e u m s

At the top of the annual museum attendance list for 2009, the world’s great encyclopaedic museums, the Louvre, British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, stand proud as inprevious years. Institutions that have unveiled new wings include the Museo del Prado and the ArtInstitute of Chicago: the Prado’s, which opened in April 2007, increased visitors’ comfort and convenience more than numbers last year, accommodating an extra 4,100 people. But theModern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, which opened its doors in May last year, helpedboost the art museum’s attendance by almost 450,000. The Reina Sofía in Madrid also did well,breaking the two million mark last year.

J.P.

Institutions with more than one building such as the National Gallery of Victoria were asked to provide separate total museum attendance figures foreach venue. These venues are marked above with an asterisk (*).

San Francisco

IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN TOP TENCOMBINED TICKET TOP TEN

Jeff Koons’s inflatable

Lobster

(left) was one of many sculptures by theUS artist to adorn the Château de Versailles over a four-month periodending in January 2009. They helped draw one million people to thepalace outside Paris during the winter months. Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster’s installation in the Tate Modern tops this category, however.Admission to the combined-ticket section includes entrance to otherattractions, such a the grounds of Versailles, which distorts the exhibitionattendance. Likewise, tickets to the Mori Art Museum also allow accessto its popular observation platform overlooking Tokyo. Tickets to enterthe Hermitage and some Italian museums allow entry to the specialexhibitions as well, which the museums do not count separately.

E.S.

12,727

2,278,054

Unilever Series: Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster

Tate ModernLondon14 Oct 08-13 Apr

10,160

1,000,000

Jeff Koons

Château de VersaillesVersailles10 Sep 08-4 Jan

7,426

749,991

Living Marbles: Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Museo Nazionale del BargelloFlorence3 Apr-12 Jul

5,673

560,000

The Perfect Victory: the Battle of Poltava

State Hermitage MuseumSt Petersburg29 May-20 Sep

5,572

550,000

Treasury of the World: Jewelled Arts of India

State Hermitage MuseumSt Petersburg7 Aug-29 Nov

5,232

888,644

Splendour and Reason

Galleria degli UffiziFlorence30 May-13 Dec

4,618

531,054

Van Gogh and the Colours of the Night

Van Gogh MuseumAmsterdam13 Feb-7 Jun

4,321

462,347

Ai Weiwei: According to What

Mori Art MuseumTokyo25 Jul-8 Nov

4,140

320,000

Portraiture from the Egyptian Museum, Berlin

State Hermitage MuseumSt Petersburg23 Jun-20 Sep

3,047

283,350

Kaleidoscopic Eye

Mori Art MuseumTokyo4 Apr-5 Jul

ANTIQUITIES TOP TEN

The travelling exhibition of ancient treasures from the National Museum inKabul takes the top and tenth spot in this category, with the Houston pre-sentation bringing in more than double the number of visitors of the NewYork leg of the tour (left, Head from a clay temple statue, 2nd century BC).The show is organised by National Geographic, which is also responsiblefor the King Tutankhamun exhibitions; two variations of these boy-kingthemed displays come in third and ninth. The rest of the top ten includesshows devoted to ancient Egypt and Rome. Similar to last year, pre-Columbian shows are noticeably absent, but as 2010 marks the bicentenni-al of Mexico’s independence from Spain, pre-Columbian exhibitions areaplenty in 2010 and should rank high in next year’s survey.

E.S.

4,735

317,233

Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from Kabul

Museum of Fine Arts Houston1 Mar-17 May

4,178

448,208

Egypt: the Great Civilisation

National Museum of KoreaSeoul28 Apr-30 Aug

2,925

664,000

Tutankhamun

Museum of ArtDallas3 Oct 08-17 May

2,727

332,679

A Day in Pompeii

Melbourne MuseumMelbourne26 Jun-25 Oct

2,647

195,477

The Roman Empire

National Museum of Western ArtTokyo19 Sep-13 Dec

2,526

249,023

The Gates of Heaven

LouvreParis6 Mar-29 Jun

2,301

351,987

Pompeii and the Roman Villa

National Gallery of ArtWashington19 Oct 08-22 Mar

2,222

221,268

Egypt: Sunken Treasures

Reggia di Venaria RealeVenaria7 Feb-2 Jun

2,083

400,000

Tutankhamun: the Golden King

Atlanta Civic CenterAtlanta15 Nov 08-25 May

1,987

153,596

Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from Kabul

Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York23 Jun-20 Sep

2,597

327,244

Rothko

Tate ModernLondon26 Sep 08-1 Feb

2,583

547,138

Paul Klee: Social Creatures

SFMoMASan Francisco7 Mar-8 Nov

2,583

225,443

Matisse 1914-45

Museo Thyssen-BornemiszaMadrid9 Jun-20 Sep

2,569

106,081

The Treasures of Myoshin-ji Temple

Kyoto National MuseumKyoto24 Mar-10 May

2,568

200,692

Art and Love in Renaissance Italy

Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York18 Nov 08-16 Feb

2,526

249,023

The Gates of Heaven

LouvreParis6 Mar-29 Jun

2,484

460,297

Roxy Paine on the Roof: Maelstrom

Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York28 Apr-29 Nov

2,446

183,433

Corot to Monet

National GalleryLondon8 Jul-20 Sep

2,432

173,351

Rodin

Musée d’OrsayParis 10 Mar-31 May

2,428

114,796

Ise Jingu and Treasures of Shinto

Tokyo National MuseumTokyo14 Jul-6 Sep

2,422

187,213

Fra Angelico: the Dawn of the Renaissance

Musei CapitoliniRome7 Apr-5 Jul

2,395

223,391

Cy Twombly

GuggenheimBilbao28 Oct 08-15 Feb

2,388

196,485

Shadows

Thyssen-Bornemisza/Fundación Caja

Madrid10 Feb-17 May

2,324

188,280

Louise Bourgeois

Hirshhorn MuseumWashington26 Feb-17 May

2,301

351,987

Pompeii and the Roman Villa

National Gallery of ArtWashington19 Oct 08-22 Mar

2,300

342,726

Byzantium 330-1453

Royal Academy of ArtsLondon25 Oct 08-22 Mar

2,298

314,847

Directions: Walead Beshty

Hirshhorn MuseumWashington30 Apr-13 Sep

2,278

148,695

A Week of Kindness: the Collages Max Ernst

Musée d’OrsayParis 30 Jun-13 Sep

2,278

88,187

Nichiren and the Treasures of the Lotus Sect

Kyoto National MuseumKyoto10 Oct 09-23 Nov

2,244

455,632

Black Box: Guido van der Werve

Hirshhorn MuseumWashington20 Apr-8 Nov

2,227

160,685

Michelangelo’s First Painting

Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York16 Jun-7 Sep

2,223

375,702

53rd Venice Biennale

Giardeni e ArsenaleVenice 7 Jun-22 Nov

2,222

221,268

Egypt: Sunken Treasures

Reggia di Venaria RealeVenaria7 Feb-2 Jun

2,212

227,831

Picasso Prints: Challenging the Past

National GalleryLondon25 Feb-7 Jun

2,197

70,000

National Treasures of Mii-dera Temple

Suntory Museum of Art Tokyo7 Feb-15 Mar

2,193

205,210

New Work: Ranjani Shettar

SFMoMASan Francisco21 Mar-7 Jul

2,188

152,239

Imagine: the Peace Ballad of John & Yoko

Museum of Fine ArtsMontreal2 Apr-21 Jun

2,188

188,193

Lida Abdul/Dinh Q Lé

Freer and Sackler GalleriesWashington6 Dec 08-1 Mar

2,170

212,325

Van Gogh

Museo di Santa GiuliaBrescia18 Oct 08-8 Feb

2,158

183,411

Garden and Cosmos

Freer and Sackler GalleriesWashington11 Oct 08-4 Jan

2,153

150,735

Summer Exhibition-

Royal Academy of ArtsLondon8 Jun-16 Aug

2,152

243,769

Per Kirkeby

Louisiana Museum of Modern ArtHumlebaek2 Sep 08-11 Jan

2,130

80,954

TAG at the Grand Palais

Grand Palais NaveParis27 Mar-3 May

2,127

152,239

Imagine: the Peace Ballad of John & Yoko

Musée National des Beaux-arts Montreal2 Apr-21 Jun

2,121

119,677

William Eggleston: Democratic Camera

Whitney MuseumNew York7 Nov 08-25 Jan

2,110

225,745

Monet and the Impressionists

Art Gallery of New South WalesSydney11 Oct 08-26 Jan

2,107

117,710

“Story of ...”: Memories of Cartier Creations

Tokyo National MuseumTokyo28 Mar-31 May

2,102

237,505

Francis Bacon

Tate BritainLondon11 Sep 08-4 Jan

2,091

93,779

Ganjinwajo National Treasures

Nara National MuseumNara4 Apr-24 May

2,083

400,000

Tutankhamun: the Golden King

Atlanta Civic CenterAtlanta15 Nov 08-25 May

1,996

261,214

Yves Saint Laurent

De Young MuseumSan Francisco1 Nov 08-5 Apr

1,990

175,655

The Jazz Century

Musée Quai BranlyParis17 Mar-28 Jun

1,989

204,862

Picasso: Challenging the Past

National GalleryLondon25 Feb-7 Jun

1,987

153,596

Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from Kabul

Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York23 Jun-20 Sep

1,980

180,218

Jeff Koons: Popeye Series

Serpentine GalleryLondon29 Jun-27 Sep

1,966

256,363

Austere: Selections from the Collection

SFMoMASan Francisco6 Feb-7 Jul

1,966

256,363

Otl Aicher/J Mayer H

SFMoMASan Francisco6 Feb-7 Jul

1,957

177,268

Double Down: Two Visions of Vegas

SFMoMASan Francisco18 Sep 08-4 Jan

1,953

545,000

Louvre Atlanta

High Museum of ArtAtlanta12 Oct 08-6 Sep

1,936

195,568

Jonathan Borofsky

Frederik Meijer Gardens Grand Rapids30 Jan-10 May

1,935

168,658

Alexander Calder: the Paris Years, 1926-33

Whitney MuseumNew York16 Oct 08-15 Feb

1,932

251,150

From Miró to Warhol

Museu Colecção BerardoLisbon16 Oct 08-22 Feb

1,924

169,889

Tarzan!

Musée Quai BranlyParis16 Jun-27 Sep

1,922

177,952

Kees Van Dongen

Museo PicassoBarcelona11 Jun-27 Sep

1,922

131,824

On View: Candice Breitz

SFMoMASan Francisco1 Oct-20 Dec

1,918

162,778

Photography Now/The Provoke Era

SFMoMASan Francisco12 Sep-20 Dec

1,907

129,410

William Kentridge: Five Themes

SFMoMASan Francisco14 Mar-31 May

1,906

646,186

Strange Bodies

Hirshhorn MuseumWashington11 Dec 08-15 Nov

1,881

150,986

1914! The Avant-garde and the Great War

Thyssen-Bornemisza/Fundación Caja

Madrid7 Oct 08-11 Jan

1,879

186,028

Contemporary Australia: Optimism

Queensland GoMABrisbane15 Nov 08-22 Feb

1,878

148,336

Archibald, Wynne & Sulman Prizes

Art Gallery of New South WalesSydney7 Mar-24 May

1,853

120,990

René Lalique: a Retrospective

National Art Center TokyoTokyo24 Jun-7 Sep

1,834

174,000

Medieval and Renaissance Treasures

High Museum of ArtAtlanta13 Sep 08-4 Jan

1,830

154,009

Sorolla: a Vision of Spain

Museo de Bellas ArtesBilbao13 Oct 08-18 Jan

1,817

243,262

The Court of Vanvitelli

Reggia di CasertaCaserta5 Apr-7 Sep

1,804

350,000

Impressionism and the Paris School

PinacothèqueParis6 Mar-15 Sep

1,795

145,388

Melchior d’Hondecoeter

RijksmuseumAmsterdam18 Dec 08-9 Mar

1,765

165,939

Futurismo: Avanguardia-Avanguardie

Scuderie del QuirinaleRome20 Feb-24 May

1,763

205,020

Dialogue among Giants

Getty Center Los Angeles14 Oct-1 Mar

1,762

122,300

Pureblood Reflections: Photography

Istanbul ModernIstanbul4 Feb-26 Apr

1,756

156,500

In Praise of Shadows

Istanbul ModernIstanbul22 Jan-6 May

1,735

119,199

Louis Vuitton: a Passion for Creation

Hong Kong Museum of ArtHong Kong22 May-9 Aug

1,727

132,026

The Myth of Antiquity

Kunsthistorisches MuseumVienna2 Dec 08-28 Feb

1,727

208,923

Picasso 1917-37

Complesso del VittorianoRome11 Oct 08-8 Feb

1,697

164,600

Telling Tales

Victoria and Albert MuseumLondon14 Jul-18 Oct

1,680

215,000

Georges Rouault

PinacothèqueParis18 Sep 08-23 Jan

1,666

174,945

Yayoi Kusama: Mirrored Years

Museum of Contemporary ArtSydney24 Feb-8 Jun

1,659

129,396

Isa Genzken: Open, Sesame!

Whitechapel GalleryLondon5 Apr-21 Jun

1,649

106,970

Martin Puryear

SFMoMASan Francisco8 Nov 08-25 Jan

1,649

124,592

2008 SECA Art Award

SFMoMASan Francisco12 Feb-10 May

1,636

180,000

Van Dyck

Musée Jacquemart-AndreParis8 Oct 08-25 Jan

DailyTotalExhibitionVenueCityDates

1,634

127,676

Nestor Basterretxea

Museo de Bellas Artes Bilbao3 Nov 08-1 Feb

1,633

122,000

Edgar Degas: Intimacy and Pose

Hamburger KunsthalleHamburg6 Feb-3 May

1,632

69,928

James Coleman

Irish Museum of Modern ArtDublin7 Mar-26 Apr

1,625

154,418

Alexander Calder 1969

Frederik Meijer Gardens Grand Rapids5 Jun-7 Sep

1,620

143,458

The Deluded Eye

NationalmuseumStockholm25 Sep 08-11 Jan

1,619

129,278

Warhol Live

De Young MuseumSan Francisco14 Feb-17 May

1,610

115,476

Passageworks

SFMoMASan Francisco25 Oct 08-19 Jan

1,607

129,694

Paul Plamper: Ruhe 1, Radio Play in Space

Museum LudwigCologne24 Oct 08-25 Jan

1,606

126,850

J.W. Waterhouse: the Modern Pre-Raphaelite

Royal Academy of ArtsLondon27 Jun-13 Sep

1,603

226,000

Venice: Canaletto and Turner to Monet

Fondation Beyeler Basel28 Sep 08-15 Feb

1,599

205,834

Terracotta Warriors

Museum of Natural ScienceHouston22 May-18 Oct

1,587

121,971

The Art of Participation: 1950 to Now

SFMoMASan Francisco8 Nov 08-8 Feb

1,584

110,000

Top Arts: VCE-

Ian Potter Centre: NGVMelbourne25 Mar-14 Jun

1,582

137,191

Lords of the Samurai

Asian Art MuseumSan Francisco12 Jun-20 Sep

1,566

172,281

Rembrandt

AlbertinaVienna4 Mar-21 Jun

1,562

64,051

Gustav Metzger: Decades

Serpentine GalleryLondon29 Sep-8 Nov

1,562

242,073

The Art of Power

National Gallery of ArtWashington28 Jun-29 Nov

1,562

110,711

Brought to Light

SFMoMASan Francisco11 Oct 08-4 Jan

1,561

111,249

Calder Jewellery

Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York9 Dec 08-1 Mar

1,557

138,989

The Pictures Generation, 1974–84

Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York21 Apr-2 Aug

1,553

160,000

From Siena to Florence: Italian Primitives

Musée Jacquemart-AndreParis11 Mar-21 Jun

1,550

202,894

Paul Klee’s Pedagogical Sketchbook

SFMoMASan Francisco27 Sep 08-1 Mar

1,549

129,714

New Work: Mai-Thu Perret

SFMoMASan Francisco21 Nov 08-1 Mar

1,547

171,692

Black Box: Ori Gersht

Hirshhorn MuseumWashington22 Dec 08-12 Apr

1,537

134,605

Giorgio de Chirico

Musée d’Art Moderne de la VilleParis12 Feb-24 May

1,534

200,709

The 1,000 Journals Project

SFMoMASan Francisco1 Nov 08-5 Apr

1,530

153,033

Degas: Master of French Art

National Gallery of AustraliaCanberra12 Dec 08-22 Mar

1,523

130,317

Warhol Live

Museum of Fine ArtsMontreal25 Sep 08-4 Jan

1,517

142,551

Gerhard Richter

AlbertinaVienna30 Jan-3 May

1,517

99,033

In Situ: Elena Elagina and Igor Makarevich

Kunsthistorisches MuseumVienna19 May-2 Aug

1,514

111,786

Face of Our Time

SFMoMASan Francisco31 Jan-26 Apr

1,513

108,921

Becoming Edvard Munch

Art Institute of ChicagoChicago14 Feb-26 Apr

1,510

112,828

Thomas Bayrle: Looping

Museum LudwigCologne24 Oct 08-18 Jan

1,494

185,227

Gustav Klimt and the Kunstschau 1908

Galerie BelvedereVienna1 Oct 08-1 Feb

1,492

133,249

The Room in Pictures

Kunsthistorisches MuseumVienna31 Mar-2 Jul

1,490

148,315

Max Ernst: Dream and Revolution

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Humlebaek6 Feb-1 Jun

1,488

177,478

Reality Check

Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York4 Nov 08-22 Mar

1,485

165,661

Sensual, Feminine, Flemish

Kunsthistorisches MuseumVienna6 Aug 09-13 Dec

1,485

115,441

Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from Kabul

Asian Art MuseumSan Francisco 24 Oct 08-25 Jan

1,483

95,309

Hughie O’Donoghue

Irish Museum of Modern ArtDublin3 Mar-17 May

1,471

84,715

Nicotiana: a Cultural History of Tobacco

Kunsthistorisches MuseumVienna7 May-12 Jul

1,467

73,128

Fukuzawa Yukichi: Living the Future

Tokyo National MuseumTokyo10 Jan-8 Mar

1,460

188,305

Magritte: Mystery of Nature

Palazzo RealeMilan21 Nov 08-29 Mar

1,458

133,904

Gerhard Richter: Abstract Paintings

Museum LudwigCologne18 Oct 08-1 Feb

1,456

113,790

Cast in Bronze: French Sculpture

Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York24 Feb-25 May

1,438

155,319

Arnulf Rainer & Dieter Roth

Galerie BelvedereVienna26 Sep 08-11 Jan

1,433

141,834

Rafael and Urbino

Palazzo DucaleUrbino5 Apr-12 Jul

1,418

97,667

Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton

New MuseumNew York8 Oct 08-11 Jan

1,415

41,440

Here/Not There

Museum of Contemporary ArtChicago30 Jun-2 Aug

1,415

122,686

The Philippe de Montebello Years

Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York24 Oct 08-1 Feb

1,413

164,946

Take Your Time: Olafur Eliasson

Museum of Contemporary ArtChicago1 May-13 Sep

1,410

101,700

Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton

Whitechapel GalleryLondon9 Jul-30 Sep

1,409

94,197

Monet Water Lilies

High Museum of ArtAtlanta6 Jun-23 Aug

1,409

94,197

Richard Misrach: On the Beach

High Museum of ArtAtlanta6 Jun-23 Aug

1,396

79,000

How to Sustain Culture Well

Staatliche Museen zu BerlinBerlin27 Mar-1 Jun

1,394

82,667

Watteau, Music and Theatre

Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York22 Sep-29 Nov

DailyTotalExhibitionVenueCityDates

Exhibition and museum attendance figures

2009

THE EXHIBITIONS

continued

7,270

783,352

Picasso and the Masters

Grand PalaisParis8 Oct 08-2 Feb

6,553

703,000

Kandinsky

Centre PompidouParis8 Apr-10 Aug

6,299

377,068

Joan Miró: Painting and Anti-Painting

Museum of Modern ArtNew York2 Nov 08-12 Jan

4,856

436,343

Van Gogh and the Colours of the Night

Museum of Modern ArtNew York21 Sep 08-5 Jan

4,820

459,267

Joaquín Sorolla

Museo Nacional del PradoMadrid26 May-13 Sep

4,688

474,821

Warhol’s Wide World

Grand PalaisParis18 Mar-13 Jul

4,486

450,521

Picasso-Manet

Musée d’OrsayParis 8 Oct 08-1 Feb

4,416

473,800

Alexander Calder

Centre PompidouParis18 Mar-20 Jul

3,729

284,444

Paul Gauguin

National Museum of Modern ArtTokyo3 Jul-23 Sep

3,564

210,304

Avant-gardes ’20-’60

Van Gogh MuseumAmsterdam26 Jun-23 Aug

THE ART NEWSPAPER, No. 212, APRIL 2010

Paris dominated this category in 2009, hosting five of the top ten shows.The Grand Palais holds the coveted first place position for “Picasso and theMasters”, a show exploring the influence on Picasso of artists such as Goyaand Van Gogh. The show was one of France’s most popular ever, drawing7,270 people daily, making it the second highest ranking western show in oursurvey. Another Picasso-themed show, at the Musée d’Orsay, which coincidedwith the Grand Palais display, comes in seventh. The Pompidou’s Kandinskyretrospective comes in second (left,

Blue Mountain

, 1908-09) and its otherblockbuster, “Alexander Calder”, originally scheduled to open in 2008 butpostponed because of budget constraints, comes in at eighth.