I have only just got round to studying the annual charts of visitor numbers which are inserted into the April issue of the Art Newspaper. The National Palace Museum in Taipei takes the top eight places. Chanel at the Saatchi Gallery came twelfth in the world, way above the wonderful Alexander McQueen exhibition at the V&A. I initially thought that Ai Weiwei came top amongst UK exhibitions, but then spotted that it had been beaten by six exhibitions at the Saatchi Gallery, including Skate Girls of Kabul. I’m also pleased to see the Summer Exhibition up there in the top fifty in the world with 230,483 visitors. William Kentridge did well in Beijing, but so, I thought, did Sean Scully at the Himalyas Museum in Shanghai. Maybe they don’t supply the statistics. The National Portrait Gallery got over 2 million visitors, nearly double Tate Britain. Nearly 200,000 people went to see Grayson Perry in Margate. Some people think museum directors are obsessed with visitor numbers. I am.
| Charles | Saumarez | Smith | 
My partner’s parents were visiting from Shrewsbury this week and so I booked some tickets for the Painting the Modern Garden exhibition at your gaff. Was surprised at how few tickets there were left available and then by the huge numbers queuing when we arrived (we had the 10 am slot). Our visitors are generally a bit freaked by London crowds but greatly enjoyed the exhibition which must be a huge success in terms of numbers. My teenage daughter was very taken by the Mirbeau quote ‘I love compost, like one loves a woman’ and has quoted it – a little too often – in a cod French accent at intervals since our visit!
Joan
Yes, these last weeks of the exhibition are very tricky to manage. We’re opening for as long hours as we can. Charles
How about opening at 9am as well as having the late hours? David
This is a good moment to congratulate you on the Modern Garden – a delightful show as is rightly reflected in the attendance, the queues and the extended hours. Well done, the Academy !