Since lock down started many fellow art world visitors have been asking me the same question - will all the exhibitions they didn’t get a chance to see be extended? The logic being that if say an exhibition had one month run then it will be extended to run for one more month post-lock down. Sounds like a sensible plan, right?

The answer isn’t that simple. In this post I’ll try to break down why all shows can’t be extended and the various factors that come into play. I’m sure to miss some, so chip in on the comments with any I’ve missed.

The logistics

There’s a lot that foes into an exhibition that us visitors don’t get to see. Loans of important works and objects are agreed for a certain time, likewise with the insurance. Both can be extended but they may come at a cost if the insurer and / or lender isn’t particularly understanding. In defence of lenders they may have promised the object to another exhibition by a set date. Yes the whole world has been hit by a pandemic but some parts of the world are recovering faster than others - i.e. Asia may be ready for a touring exhibition that Europe isn’t ‘done with’ yet. If the exhibition can’t tour to its next venue then that has knock-on impacts for that venue which has to rejig its exhibitions calendar.

We’ve already seen such an impact with the Titian exhibition where an extension to the stay at The National Gallery has led to the cancellation of plans for the show to tour to Scotland. I’m guessing the above includes the reasons behind why the Renaissance Watercolours exhibition at V&A has been cancelled and an Alfred Cohen exhibition at King’s College London only opened for a few hours before it had to close.

Attendance

A lot of calculations go into estimating how many people will visit an exhibition, as this number will help determine all of the following:

• The revenue generated by ticket sales

• The amount people will spend in the gift shop

• Whether attendance needs to be staggered to avoid overcrowding and how many people can comfortably fit into the exhibition at once

• How fast word of mouth will spread and if that will lead to extended opening hours being needed

• Do we have the budget to cover the numbers of staff needed to manage the visitors

• How long a run the exhibition should have based on ticket sales and visitors attendance, i.e. if you keep a show running long enough then visitor numbers decline to the point where it’s no longer economically viable to keep the exhibition running. Most galleries and museums aim to end their shows before this point.

Now of course these are all estimates but they are used for sophisticated models that are all based on the assumption that there isn’t going to be a global pandemic. Covid-19 has meant going back to the drawing board as who knows what attendance will look like once galleries and museums open up once again. The amount of people in an exhibition at a time will need to be far lower and many people won’t want to travel into town to see a show as it involves using public transport.

Many smaller museums have felt the pinch already with both Charles Dickens Museum and Florence Nightingale Museum stating that they rely on regular visitors, who pay the entrance fee, to survive. While doors are closed they are seriously suffering.

What next?
We shall have to see when it’s safe for museums and galleries are safe to open, and how many people turn up. Some exhibitions will be extended and upcoming exhibitions will be given new dates or cancelled as required.

In terms of future exhibitions the cost impact of the pandemic on museums may mean fewer blockbuster exhibitions or maybe ones with longer run times to recover the costs of setting them up and the lost costs from the pandemic closures.

This may result in more exhibitions curated from within the museum or gallery’s own collection. Critics tend to dislike these but it may be a necessity. More homegrown exhibitions are likely as we move away from depending on objects being flown over to be shown here, potentially including more local artists in exhibitions.

It’s unclear what comes next. Yet the arts are adaptable and I look forward to the brave new London art scene in a world after lock down.