Tate’s Kahlo show breaks advance ticket record as blockbusters return

Tate Modern has sold more than 41,000 advance tickets for Frida: The Making of an Icon, which opens on 25 June, making it the gallery’s highest pre-sale on record and eclipsing the 32,000 advance sales for David Hockney in 2017. Tate said it was “pretty blown away” by the response.

The enthusiasm for Kahlo forms part of a wider revival of large exhibitions. The British Museum’s Bayeux tapestry, arriving in London from 10 September and billed as its “exhibition of the century”, prompted hours-long queues for members and a website crash on first-day sales.

At the National Gallery a recent Van Gogh became the institution’s most popular ticketed exhibition, drawing 334,589 visits and staying open through the night on its final weekend. Museums argue the appeal goes beyond images online: visitors value seeing originals and shared cultural moments.

United Kingdom, London

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