Over 60,000 people have so far visited various exhibitions launched by Qatar Museums Authority in October, QMA said in a statement.
Just over halfway through the exhibition programme, a record number of visitors have flocked to see Damien Hirst Relics at Al Riwaq, his first and largest exhibition in the Middle East.
With works such as Leviathan (2006-2013), his largest formaldehyde work to date, consisting of a 6.8m basking shark preserved and contained in a 10m vitrine, education has been a core part of the exhibition with more than 1,500 students across all grades from 50 schools visiting the show, as well as six university groups.
The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) is on track to see huge visitor numbers for Haj: A Journey Through Art. Taking viewers on a journey that explores and illuminates the pilgrimage, the exhibition presents artworks from MIA and objects from Qatari collections, many of which have never before
been displayed in public.
At the QMA Gallery in Katara, Francesco Vezzoli’s Museum of Crying Women -showcasing striking portraits of iconic female figures of the last century - have been engaging crowds through social media, inviting visitors to capture and tweet their own portrait with a signature Vezzoli tear.
At Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Adel Abdessemed’s exhibition L’âge d’or has been generating discussion and debate with his thought-provoking show.
With just over eight weeks left, the numbers are expected to be the highest that many of the spaces have had to date, with Relics already surpassing the previous high from the 2012 exhibition, Murakami’s Ego, according to the statement.
Kimberly French, chief marketing officer at QMA, said: “With such a strong programme of exhibitions, it’s not surprising we are seeing record-breaking figures for many of our current shows. With so many avenues for engagement, whether through footfall at exhibitions, educational visits or on social media, we are seeing a growing appetite for cultural experiences in Qatar.”
For more information, visit www.qma.org.qa