Tate Frida Kahlo Show Breaks Pre-Sale Record
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- Tate Modern's Frida: The Making of an Icon (opens 25 June) sold more than 41,000 advance tickets, the highest pre-selling exhibition in Tate's history, surpassing the previous record of 32,000 for David Hockney in 2017.
- Catherine Wood, Tate Modern's interim director, said predictions about the decline of the blockbuster have been 'proved wrong,' and confirmed that half of Tate's audience are members whose loyalty is 'important to the economy of Tate.'
- The British Museum's Bayeux tapestry exhibition (from 10 September) saw such demand that the museum's website crashed and members faced hours-long queues; the museum called it the most popular first day of sales for any exhibition it has mounted.
- The National Gallery's recent Van Gogh show attracted 334,589 visits — its most popular ticketed exhibition ever — and stayed open through the night on its final weekend to accommodate demand.
- Tate's current Tracey Emin exhibition, A Second Life, has drawn 234,000 visitors since opening in February and still has more than two months to run, with Wood calling Emin's response 'way exceeded' predictions.
- Bernard Donoghue, director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, said visitor numbers across member attractions remain 7% below 2019 levels but noted 'the fear of missing out is back with a vengeance.'
- Wood attributed Kahlo's draw partly to a public search for authenticity in uncertain times, telling the Guardian: 'People are looking for forms of continuity and stability, for figures who are bold in owning their own life experience.'
Why it matters: The Kahlo show's 41,000 pre-sales — beating Hockney's 32,000 from 2017 — confirm blockbusters carry Tate's finances: half its audience are members. Yet overall museum attendance remains 7% below 2019, meaning the tentpole model grows more critical as public funding stays constrained.
