Dior show smashes total attendance record at the V&A—but Alexander McQueen exhibition had more daily visitors

Officials at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London say that the recent exhibition Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams drew more than 590,000 visitors, making it the most attended show in the V&A’s history. The show opened on 2 February; in March, the organisers announced plans to extend the exhibition honouring the late French fashion designer (the end date changed from 14 July to 1 September).

Over seven months, the show attracted 594,994 visitors in total. The Dior exhibition surpassed the total figure for the 2015 exhibition on another fashion designer, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, which attracted 493,043 visitors but that only ran for just over four months (14 March-2 August). The number of daily visitors for the Dior was just over 2,800, while the McQueen exhibition had 3,470 visitors a day. The Art Newspaper‘s annual attendance survey, Art’s Most Popular, ranks exhibitions by the number of daily visitors rather than the total overall figure.

Tristram Hunt, the director of the V&A, said in a statement: “I would like to thank all our visitors who have gone to such great lengths to experience this extraordinary show.” Ticket prices for Dior began at £20, with concessions available at £15; members of the V&A gained free admission.

When the show opened, we reported: “There are some parts of the show that feel a bit tokenistic—for example, an LGBTQ-style rainbow dress placed in a cabinet makes the subject seem like an afterthought—but overall the show leaves you with a warm, dream-like glow. And a desperate need to go buy something extravagant.”