Tate Modern today announced that its Damien Hirst exhibition received 463,087 visitors. It is the most visited solo exhibition ever held at the gallery, ahead of the Edward Hopper retrospective in 2004 and Gauguin in 2010-11. It is the second most visited exhibition in the Tate Modern’s history, after ‘Matisse Picasso’ in 2002 which received 467,166 visitors.
Open for over five months from 4 April to 9 September, the exhibition was seen by almost 3,000 visitors each day. The exhibition is an example of the longer running shows that Tate has introduced in recent years, which offer visitors a chance to see exhibitions across the spring and summer.
This was the first substantial survey of Hirst’s work ever held in the UK. Sponsored by the Qatar Museums Authority, it provided a unique journey through two decades of Hirst’s inventive practice. Major works on display included ‘The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living’, in which a shark is suspended in formaldehyde, and ‘In and Out of Love’, a two-room installation involving live butterflies. The exhibition was also part of the London 2012 Festival, the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad.
Chris Dercon, Director, Tate Modern said:
“We are delighted that so many people came to see and discuss the Damien Hirst exhibition at Tate Modern. It was wonderful to see such iconic works brought together in one place and to offer our visitors a chance to experience them first-hand.”
Saving...