The Art Newspaper just released its 2008 rankings for worldwide museum attendance. The top slot went to the Louvre, which held the position last year, with 8.5 million visitors (up from 8.3 million in 2007). The British Museum came in 2nd with 5.93 million (up from its 4th place ranking last year). In the US, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC took 3rd place with 4.96 million visitors (with 4.51 million in 2007), overtaking the Tate Modern, which slipped to 4th place with 4.95 million. The Metropolitan Museum of Art held onto its 5th place ranking from last year though its numbers were up with 4.82 million visitors reported in 2008 (2007 numbers were 4.54 million).
The most highly attended exhibitions of 2008 were both held in Tokyo: 60th Annual Exhibition of Shoso-in Treasures at the Nara National Museum, with a total of 17,926 visitors daily, and National Treasures from Yakushi-ji Temple at the Tokyo National Museum, with 12,762 viewers per day. In the United States the top attended exhibition was held at the Museum of Modern Art, Dalí: Painting and Film, ranking 8th overall with 6,624 visitors per day.
