The exhibition brought together a number of versions of the Weeping woman.
Last Update: Monday, October 9, 2006. 8:05am (AEST)

Picasso exhibition impresses near record crowds

The Picasso: Love and War exhibition, which closed yesterday, attracted 224,000 people to the National Gallery of Victoria during its 101 days.

It is now registered as the third most successful event ever held at gallery.

The most attended exhibition was the Impressionists in 2004, which attracted 380,000 people, followed by the Chinese Archaeological Finds exhibition in 1977, with 231,000 visitors.

Acting director of the gallery, Tony Ellwood, says Melbourne is gaining a reputation around Australia for its exhibitions.

"I hear that a lot from our visitors that come from interstate, particularly the Melbourne Winter Masterpiece series though," he said.

"It's developed a really good profile.

''People know that these exhibitions are of great quality and that they're unique to us in Australia, so a lot of people say 'what's next, what's the one next year'."

Mr Ellwood says the number of people coming from interstate for the gallery's exhibitions is growing.

"We have a very good marketing campaign and a lot of support through tourism and major events to make sure that they have a national profile," he said.

"So we are finding, this being the third in our series, that we're getting a fantastic pick-up rate from regional Victoria and interstate."

Next year's Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition will consist of iconic artworks from New York's Guggenheim Museum.