LONDON, Sept. 24 (People's Daily Online)-- London's most well-known culturalinstitutions are undertaking the capital's exceptional autumn season, as forecasts showover two million tourists are expected to visit a collection of blockbuster exhibitions andevents taking place throughout London.
Culture remains the leading driver for tourists, with eight out of ten citing it as the mainreason they visit the capital. The blockbuster autumn season includes the largestexhibition of British First World War art for almost 100 years at the Imperial WarMuseum; a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the passion and innovation ofRembrandt's influential late works at the National Gallery; and a major exhibition offeringa new interpretation of one of Britain’s best-loved artists, John Constable, at the Victoriaand Albert Museum.
The stellar line-up of shows and exhibitions taking place in the autumn includes Turner atTate Britain, Anselm Kiefer at the Royal Academy and Ming: 50 years that changed China,a major exhibition covering the Ming Dynasty reign at the British Museum featuring someof the most beautiful objects and paintings ever made in China. In “The man who neverlived and who will never die”, the Museum of London will invite visitors to delve into themind of Sherlock Holmes, the world’s most famous fictional detective, and the museum willrecreate the atmosphere of Sherlock’s London through film, photographs and originalartefacts.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “This autumn's outstanding programme ofexhibitions, plays and shows is another great reason to put London at the top of your list ofplaces to visit. Throughout the year, the capital offers an unbeatable variety of arts andculture, attracting people in their millions from around the world. It is a fabulous successstory, which we want to build on, and we are developing a plan aimed at maximising thepotential of the full range of cultural activity to be found throughout our city.”
Dr Nicholas Penny, Director of the National Gallery, said: “London’s cultural offering thisautumn is world class and I expect to see even more than usual visitors as a result. TheNational Gallery receives 6 million visitors each year. This autumn, the National Gallerypresents a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition, Rembrandt: The Late Works – this is the firstever in-depth exploration of Rembrandt’s final years of painting – and it is sure to be ahuge draw for visitors from across the globe.”
London & Partners CEO Gordon Innes said: “Overseas visitors to our cultural institutionsgenerate an estimated ￡4 billion annually to London’s economy. As the most visited city onearth, London’s phenomenal global success continues to see record tourism figures.”
