The Tate has released its annual report revealing slightly over 7m visitors to its several locations, down slightly from the previous period. But this year’s Matisse cut-outs show set an attendance record that beat even Damien Hirst’s 2012 exhibition. 562,000 art lovers came to the Tate for Matisse:
Tate acquired 1,061 works in 2013/14 with a total value of £33.6 million. Of these 777 were by artists from the UK and 284 were by artists from abroad.
This was an exceptional year for the acquisition of photography: 544 works added in all.
Tate lent to more venues than ever before in 2013/14 and it was our best year to date for international lending. Some 1,467 works went to 282 venues; 791 works to 149 venues in the UK and 676 works to 133 venues internationally. Loans were made to twenty-three countries, including Brazil, China, South Korea and Qatar, many involving complex logistical challenges.
Tate is one of the world’s most popular cultural attractions. Our reputation meant that this year we attracted 3.5 million visits from international visitors.