October 2013

A bumper year for art

Despite the challenging economic climate and government cuts, art is being seen as good value for money and a huge source of pleasure. In fact the world of art appears to be doing well. Tate Galleries had one of their most successful years to date in 2012–13, with total visitor numbers of 7.74 million to its four galleries. More people visited Tate Modern than ever before – 5.5 million, retaining its position as the most visited gallery of modern and contemporary art in the world, and the second most popular tourist attraction in the UK.

And it is not just in major cities that art is appreciated. Last month I attended the press view of Masterpieces of East Anglia . The range and scope of this exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at University of East Anglia impressed on me just what a huge subject art is, with objects ranging from a flint hand axe dating from 700,000 BC, to a...

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