Fun with math!
Howdy!
Today the Art Newspaper released their annual survey of attendance figures. This lead me to the Musee des beaux Arts web site, and low and behold they give attendance figures for all of their shows going back to 1980.
So I figure we can do a compare and contrast exercise here.
In 2002 the MBAM had a total of 478,957 visitors.
In 2002 Zeke's Gallery had a total of 3,454 visitors
"So what?" I hear you say. Well, given that Zeke's ain't never going to be a museum, and that the MBAM spent almost $40 million dollars to get that attendance ($82.48 per visitor), and Zeke's spent considerable less (I ain't gonna be so silly as to release my financials on the internet - Zeke's Gallery has never been a public company) think very low five figures instead of mid-eight figures, I wouldn't have been able to spend $20 per visitor if I tried really really hard, as a consequence, I would venture a guess that I run a much leaner organization.
Using easy math, during the Herbert List: Romantic Wanderer, exhibition, they got a total of 30,316 people to pony up $12 each to go see it. (316 people/day, $3,792 in revenue/day). Using the same easy math, during Francois Dufault's "la main du bluesman" exhibit here, I got 667 people in the door, they didn't have to pay a cent. The Hubert List exhibit ran for 96 days, Francois Dufault's exhibit lasted 36 days. If "la main du bluesman" had been on display for the same amount of time I probably would have gotten 1,781 folk in here to see it, or in other ways of calculating, 6% of their total.
If Zeke's Gallery was 6% the size of the Musee des Beaux Arts then the museum would be slightly larger than 20,000 square feet, or less than 1/4 the size of a football field, in total, including the office space.
I'm very happy not running a museum. Marc DeSerres or Maurice Forget (or somebody else) are in for a tough swim if they take the gig at the Musee des Arts Contemporain.
For your consideration the past couple of years at the museum
Edouard Vuillard: Post-Impressionist Master 95,273 visitors - May 15 to August 24, 2003
Voyage into Myth: Gauguin to Matisse, the French Avant-Garde 205,088 visitors - January 31 to April 27, 2003
Richelieu: Art and power, 46,612 visitors - September 20, 2002, to January 5, 2003
Riopelle, 110,428 visitors - June 20 to September 29, 2002
Italian Old Masters from Raphael to Tiepolo, 88,547 visitors - April 24 to August 4, 2002
Herbert List : Romantic Wanderer, 30,316 visitors - January 23 to April 28, 2002
Piranesi-Goya & Francisco Goya and Jake & Dinos Chapman, 38,317 visitors - October 10, 2001 to January 27, 2002
Aluminium by Design, 21,103 visitors - August 23 to November 4, 2001
Picasso Erotique, 194,740 visitors - June 14 to September 16, 2001
Pierre Ayot, 14,705 visitors - March 29 to June 17, 2001
Then the past couple of years here at the gallery
Fancois Dufault, La main du bluesman, January 26 - March 2, 2002, 667 visitors
Julia Asimakopulos, EphemeResine, March 12 - April 7, 2002, 830 visitors
Carmen Bouchard, Jumelles / Twins, June 26 - July 14, 2002, 267 visitors
Katia Taylor, Kitty Snaxxx, July 26 - August 18, 2002, 458 visitors
Nadia Bertrand, I am not J.C. I am N.B., August 22 - September 15, 2002, 281 visitors
Etienne Farret, Projet Bosnia, September 19 - October 10, 2002, 330 visitors
Maclean, Sportsmanlike Driving, October 25 - November 14, 2002, 397 visitors
Antoine Claes, Banal Phenomene, November 22, 2002 - January 5, 2003, 749 visitors
Yvan Arseneault, Bustum, January 10 - February 2, 2003, 416 visitors
Bertrand Lavoie, Les Morons Attaquent!!, February 6 - March 9, 2003, 512 visitors
Yaakov Goldhacker, Parallel Reality, March 13 - April 6, 2003, 262 visitors
Sylvain Lavallee, depuis 63, April 10 - April 22, 2003, 257 visitors
Martha Fleury, Traces, April 24 - June 8, 2003, 686 visitors
James Saint Laurent, Saint Laurent x3, June 12 - July 20, 2003, 512 visitors
Michael Hunt, The Inverted Democracy, July 24 - August 31, 2003, 588 visitors
03-04 Preview, September 25 - October 12, 2003, 326 visitors
March Gregoroff, October 16 - November 2, 2003, 289 visitors
Carrie Jardine, Stay Gold, November 6 - January 4, 2004, 1000 visitors
You can do the math. I got some art to go see.
Today the Art Newspaper released their annual survey of attendance figures. This lead me to the Musee des beaux Arts web site, and low and behold they give attendance figures for all of their shows going back to 1980.
So I figure we can do a compare and contrast exercise here.
In 2002 the MBAM had a total of 478,957 visitors.
In 2002 Zeke's Gallery had a total of 3,454 visitors
"So what?" I hear you say. Well, given that Zeke's ain't never going to be a museum, and that the MBAM spent almost $40 million dollars to get that attendance ($82.48 per visitor), and Zeke's spent considerable less (I ain't gonna be so silly as to release my financials on the internet - Zeke's Gallery has never been a public company) think very low five figures instead of mid-eight figures, I wouldn't have been able to spend $20 per visitor if I tried really really hard, as a consequence, I would venture a guess that I run a much leaner organization.
Using easy math, during the Herbert List: Romantic Wanderer, exhibition, they got a total of 30,316 people to pony up $12 each to go see it. (316 people/day, $3,792 in revenue/day). Using the same easy math, during Francois Dufault's "la main du bluesman" exhibit here, I got 667 people in the door, they didn't have to pay a cent. The Hubert List exhibit ran for 96 days, Francois Dufault's exhibit lasted 36 days. If "la main du bluesman" had been on display for the same amount of time I probably would have gotten 1,781 folk in here to see it, or in other ways of calculating, 6% of their total.
If Zeke's Gallery was 6% the size of the Musee des Beaux Arts then the museum would be slightly larger than 20,000 square feet, or less than 1/4 the size of a football field, in total, including the office space.
I'm very happy not running a museum. Marc DeSerres or Maurice Forget (or somebody else) are in for a tough swim if they take the gig at the Musee des Arts Contemporain.
For your consideration the past couple of years at the museum
Edouard Vuillard: Post-Impressionist Master 95,273 visitors - May 15 to August 24, 2003
Voyage into Myth: Gauguin to Matisse, the French Avant-Garde 205,088 visitors - January 31 to April 27, 2003
Richelieu: Art and power, 46,612 visitors - September 20, 2002, to January 5, 2003
Riopelle, 110,428 visitors - June 20 to September 29, 2002
Italian Old Masters from Raphael to Tiepolo, 88,547 visitors - April 24 to August 4, 2002
Herbert List : Romantic Wanderer, 30,316 visitors - January 23 to April 28, 2002
Piranesi-Goya & Francisco Goya and Jake & Dinos Chapman, 38,317 visitors - October 10, 2001 to January 27, 2002
Aluminium by Design, 21,103 visitors - August 23 to November 4, 2001
Picasso Erotique, 194,740 visitors - June 14 to September 16, 2001
Pierre Ayot, 14,705 visitors - March 29 to June 17, 2001
Then the past couple of years here at the gallery
Fancois Dufault, La main du bluesman, January 26 - March 2, 2002, 667 visitors
Julia Asimakopulos, EphemeResine, March 12 - April 7, 2002, 830 visitors
Carmen Bouchard, Jumelles / Twins, June 26 - July 14, 2002, 267 visitors
Katia Taylor, Kitty Snaxxx, July 26 - August 18, 2002, 458 visitors
Nadia Bertrand, I am not J.C. I am N.B., August 22 - September 15, 2002, 281 visitors
Etienne Farret, Projet Bosnia, September 19 - October 10, 2002, 330 visitors
Maclean, Sportsmanlike Driving, October 25 - November 14, 2002, 397 visitors
Antoine Claes, Banal Phenomene, November 22, 2002 - January 5, 2003, 749 visitors
Yvan Arseneault, Bustum, January 10 - February 2, 2003, 416 visitors
Bertrand Lavoie, Les Morons Attaquent!!, February 6 - March 9, 2003, 512 visitors
Yaakov Goldhacker, Parallel Reality, March 13 - April 6, 2003, 262 visitors
Sylvain Lavallee, depuis 63, April 10 - April 22, 2003, 257 visitors
Martha Fleury, Traces, April 24 - June 8, 2003, 686 visitors
James Saint Laurent, Saint Laurent x3, June 12 - July 20, 2003, 512 visitors
Michael Hunt, The Inverted Democracy, July 24 - August 31, 2003, 588 visitors
03-04 Preview, September 25 - October 12, 2003, 326 visitors
March Gregoroff, October 16 - November 2, 2003, 289 visitors
Carrie Jardine, Stay Gold, November 6 - January 4, 2004, 1000 visitors
You can do the math. I got some art to go see.
posted by Zeke's, the Montreal Art Gallery on 30.1.04
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