London museums struggling to regain visitors after Covid closures, our survey shows

After two years of closures as a result of Covid-19 pandemic, guests returned in giant numbers to museums and galleries internationally, new analysis by The Artwork Newspaper reveals.

Yearly, The Artwork Newspaper conducts a complete worldwide survey of artwork museums’ customer numbers. The information for 2022, which will likely be revealed in full on 27 March, exhibits that the highest 100 museums acquired 140 million visits, double the quantity in lockdown-affected 2021, however lower than the 230 million visits undertaken in 2019—the final full yr unaffected by Covid-19.

Nevertheless, London’s massive museums nonetheless have an extended option to go to regain the variety of guests that they had in 2019. And in lots of instances they’re performing worse than their worldwide friends.

The British Museum was the most-visited artwork museum within the UK in 2022—and the third globally. It reported 4.1 million guests, greater than thrice larger than in 2021, when it acquired 1.3 million. Nevertheless this quantity remains to be greater than a 3rd down on its 2019 variety of 6.2 million.

Tate Trendy reported 3.9 million, rating fourth globally, however 36% down on 2019. The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) had 2.4 million, down 40%, whereas Tate Britain received 913,000, down 49%.

The Nationwide Gallery was the worst performing of the main London museums. It reported 2.7 million visits in 2022, down 55% on its 2019 determine of 6 million. The autumn of just about 3.3 million folks from earlier than Covid is the biggest recorded by any museum in our survey.

A Nationwide Gallery spokesperson informed The Artwork Newspaper that “the discount of worldwide tourism has been a key consider our lowered customer numbers”. It’s among the many London museums which are most depending on overseas guests, who simply earlier than the pandemic amounted to 66% of their complete. The spokesperson provides that “home numbers are near restoration” in contrast with 2019.

In the meantime, many related museums worldwide have proven a a lot sooner restoration. The Musée du Louvre in Paris was the most-visited artwork museum on the earth in 2022, with 7.7 million visits, 20% down on its 2019 determine. The museum is so in style that it’s beginning to restrict capability. The Centre Pompidou was down simply 8% with 3 million and the Musee d’Orsay was 10% down with 3.3 million.

In New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Artwork additionally struggled, with 32% fewer guests than in 2019, whereas the Whitney Museum of American Artwork was 19% down. The Museum of Trendy Artwork (MoMA) attracted 10% extra guests than in 2019 however had been partially closed that yr for rebuilding, so had fewer than normal guests.

In Russia, the State Hermitage Museum’s numbers have been down simply 43% on 2019. Though worldwide visits to Russia have been virtually non-existent in 2022 as a result of warfare, The Artwork Newspaper understands that the autumn has been softened by a rise in home Russian vacationers.

Chinese language state-run museums launch their knowledge later within the yr, so it’s attainable that enormous establishments just like the Nationwide Museum of China in Beijing will report greater falls than the London museums, particularly as their visitorship has been hampered by the strict zero Covid coverage and continued lockdowns.

•The Artwork Newspaper’s Customer Figures survey is performed yearly, and is the world’s foremost authority on the attendance of museums of artwork. The total record of the highest 150 museums will likely be revealed on 27 March 2023, alongside in-depth evaluation of the important thing traits.