Visitors are increasingly drawn to shows that provide opportunities for them to interact with artworks or that offer immersive experiences. The Metropolitan museum’s second most popular 2018 exhibition, Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer, which featured sculpture, a painting, and over 100 studies, also included an Instagram-friendly replica of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Many a museum are increasing their interactive offerings and photo-friendly environments.

The incredible success experienced by the Met and other art institutions demonstrates the public demand for shows centered around costume, past, present, and future.Īlthough the V&A featured two exhibitions centered around fashion in 2018, part of their record-breaking success is owed to their “multi-sensory and playful” show based on Winnie the Pooh. The V&A’s current exhibition, Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams, is on view until September 2019 but is continuously sold out. Other museums that experienced similar success through shows centered around fashion include the Victoria and Albert Museum with Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza’s with Sorolla and Fashion, and Denver Art Museum with Dior: From Paris to the World. The exhibition curated by the Costume Institute combined pious artworks and sacristy objects with contemporary couture. The Metropolitan Museum’s Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination show was the most visited exhibition of 2018 with nearly 1.7 million people (10,919 visitors a day) walking past its avant-garde halls. The Art Newspaper’s recent annual survey saw an increase and upward trend in exhibitions centered around fashion. Whether it be filming a soon-to-be trending video in front of revered masterpieces or snapping a selfie in immersive fabric sculptures, museumgoers are finding their way to exhibitions and connecting to artworks through social media.

Museums are living in a time where the majority of visitors experience art through their mobile devices and social media. The Louvre retained its position as the most visited museum in the world their 26% increase in attendance is in part due to their collection but also to Beyonce and Jay-Z’s “APESHIT” music video. The Art Newspaper’s annual survey of the 20 most visited exhibitions revealed that although established masters and their timeless pieces continue to bring in visitors, fashion exhibitions and interactive elements also increase museum attendance. Whether through social media engagement, immersive exhibitions, or fashion-forward thinking, art museums are creating novel opportunities to interact with artwork and with that increasing visitorship like never before.

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