Blockbuster display makes big impression

THE blockbuster art exhibition Impressionist Gardens has ended its hugely successful run 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, and the show attracted an average daily attendance of 1250 over its 78-day run, from July 31 to October 17.

In total, there were 99,509 ticketed visitors, making this ground-breaking exhibition the third most successful in the Gallery's history. The exhibition comfortably surpassed its ambitious target of 80,000.

The exhibition brought together around 100 spectacular paintings, by artists such Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Manet and Sisley, from collections around the world.

Michael Clarke, director of the National Gallery of Scotland, said: "We are thrilled by the success"