EDINBURGH.- The National Galleries of Scotland announced that the blockbuster exhibition Impressionist Gardens has ended its hugely successful run on a high note, with total visitor figures of nearly 100,000. Extended opening hours allowed almost 17,000 people to see the exhibition in its final week at the National Gallery Complex in Edinburgh, and the show attracted an average daily attendance of 1,250 over its 78-day run, from 31 July to 17 October. In total, there were 99,509 ticketed visitors to Impressionist Gardens, making this ground-breaking exhibition the third most successful in the Galleries’ history. The exhibition has comfortably surpassed its ambitious target of 80,000 visitors and the entire print run of the catalogue has sold out.

Impressionist Gardens brought together around 100 spectacular paintings, by artists such Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Manet and Sisley, from collections around the world, and was the first ever to be devoted to this fascinating subject. The exhibition was sponsored by BNY Mellon, and jointly organised with Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, where it will open in November. It was curated by Michael Clarke, Director of the National Gallery of Scotland and organiser of many exhibitions on Impressionism, and Dr Clare Willsdon, Reader in History of Art at the University of Glasgow and a world expert on the subject.

Commenting on the exhibition’s success, Michael Clarke said: “We are thrilled by the success of this international hit show which was created entirely here in Scotland.”

John Leighton Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland added: “We are absolutely delighted by the way that the public has responded so enthusiastically to this show. The high volume of visitors to ambitious exhibitions such as The Glasgow Boys at Kelvingrove and Impressionist Gardens here is not only a sign of a vibrant cultural life in this country it is also good news for our economy at a time when we must do all we can to boost revenues from tourism.”