Superstar Museums and Special Exhibitions

Abstract

Superstar museums are a “must-see” for tourists and have achieved cult status. They attract large and increasing numbers of visitors and have a major impact on the local economy. Superstar museums feature paintings by world-famous painters and prominent architectural design. Their income stems to a significant extent from the revenue of the museum bookshops and restaurants. Most art museums run a special exhibition of some sort. They attract new groups of visitors, focus attention on the museum and on the exhibits, and enable lucrative sponsoring revenue to be gained. The cost of mounting such exhibitions is relatively low. They allow more artistic creativity than is possible with the museums’ own collection.