Almost 500,000 people have visited the exhibition of celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama at the National Gallery of Victoria – a record number for any ticketed art show in the country.
More than 480,000 people have attended the exhibition so far at the NGV, which closes on April 21 after a four-month run. About 40 per cent of visitors were from interstate or overseas.
Yayoi Kusama’s The Hope of the Polka Dots Buried in Infinity Will Cover the Universe at the NGV.Credit: Chris Hopkins
The exhibition by the 96-year-old Japanese artist is the most popular ticketed art exhibition in Australian history, the Allan government said on Sunday.
Premier Jacinta Allan said it had brought “five MCGs’ worth of visitors to the heart of Melbourne”.
She declined to reveal how much her government had paid to host the exhibition, citing commercial-in-confidence restrictions as part of the government’s contract. A report on the revenue generated by the exhibition is expected later this year.
The Kusama exhibition is not only breaking records for the art world, but sits among the state’s best-attended major events.
The Australian Open attracted a million guests this year and last year, while the recent Formula 1 Grand Prix sold out its 405,000 tickets over three days.
Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks said cultural activities supported 325,000 Victorian jobs and accounted for 7.5 per cent of the state’s economy.
NGV director Tony Ellwood said the attendance figures had exceeded expectations, and the gallery would extend its opening hours this week to encourage final visitors.
“When we set out to do this exhibition, we had no idea it was going to be this well received,” Ellwood said.
“The other great message here is that we can see Australians love contemporary art, particularly here in Victoria.”
NGV has announced French Impressionism will be its 2025 Winter Masterpieces exhibition. It was originally staged in 2021 but closed due to lockdowns.
The NGV will also open a new gallery for contemporary arts and design, called The Fox: NGV Contemporary, in the coming years.
Before Kusama, the most popular ticketed event at the NGV was Van Gogh and the Seasons in 2017, which attracted more than 462,262 guests.
With Roy Ward
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