Yayoi Kusama's retrospective at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne has become the most visited exhibition in the museum's history, drawing nearly 470,000 visitors. The show, which closed in late January, surpassed the previous record held by a Picasso exhibition, underscoring the enduring appeal of the Japanese artist's polka-dotted universe.
The museum, located on the banks of the Rhine in Germany's fourth-largest city, reported that the exhibition attracted an average of more than 4,000 visitors per day during its run. Museum director Yilmaz Dziewior called the turnout "overwhelming" and noted that Kusama's work resonated with a broad audience, from longtime fans to first-time museumgoers.
A record-breaking run
The previous attendance record at Museum Ludwig was set in 1995 by a Pablo Picasso retrospective, which drew around 400,000 visitors. Kusama's show, titled "Yayoi Kusama: A Retrospective," featured more than 100 works spanning seven decades, including her iconic Infinity Mirror Rooms, large-scale paintings, and soft sculptures. The exhibition was organized in collaboration with the Tate Modern in London and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, and it traveled to Cologne after its run in the British capital.
Kusama, now 95 years old and living voluntarily in a psychiatric institution in Tokyo, has become a global cultural phenomenon. Her exhibitions regularly break attendance records worldwide, from the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington to the National Gallery of Singapore. In Germany, her popularity has been particularly strong, with previous shows in Berlin and Munich also drawing large crowds.
The Cologne exhibition was not without its challenges. The museum had to implement timed-entry tickets to manage the queues, and the Infinity Mirror Rooms, which allow only a few visitors at a time, were booked out for weeks in advance. Despite these logistical hurdles, the museum reported high visitor satisfaction, with many praising the immersive quality of the installations.
The record comes at a time when German museums are grappling with declining attendance in the wake of the pandemic. According to the German Museums Association, visitor numbers across the country are still below pre-2019 levels, making Kusama's achievement all the more notable. The show's success also highlights the continued importance of blockbuster exhibitions in attracting audiences, even as museums increasingly focus on digital offerings.
Kusama's work, which often explores themes of infinity, obsession, and mental health, has found particular resonance in Germany, a country with a rich tradition of expressionist and contemporary art. The exhibition's popularity also reflects a broader trend of Asian artists gaining recognition in European institutions, a shift that has been welcomed by many in the art world.
For those who missed the show in Cologne, the retrospective will travel to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao later this year, offering another chance to experience Kusama's immersive world. Meanwhile, the Museum Ludwig is already planning its next major exhibition, which will focus on the German photographer August Sander.
The record-breaking attendance in Cologne is a reminder of the power of art to draw people together, even in challenging times. As Kusama herself once said, "Our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos." For nearly half a million visitors, that polka dot was a place of wonder and reflection.
