A British Museum exhibition which no corporate sponsor would back has proved a quiet surprise hit.
Visitor numbers to the show on Ice Age art, which includes the first artefacts produced by man, have already surged past the 40,000 total expected by the end of May when it is scheduled to complete its 15-week run.
Although the forthcoming blockbuster show on the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum has grabbed headlines for its advance ticket
sales, the smaller rival display had to extend weekend opening hours almost as soon as it opened on February 7. Good Friday has been added to the opening dates.
More than 44,000 people have visited the exhibition which brings together many little-known masterpieces from across Europe dating from the last Ice Age of between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago.
It was supported by private donors Betsy and Jack Ryan, patrons and friends of the museum and the Henry Moore Foundation. But not a single big business was willing to step in, despite the museum’s reputation and efforts.
Curator Jill Cook thought corporate sponsors, who are normally strong supporters of the renowned museum, feared a subject they did not know about — and mistakenly thought the public would not find it appealing.
“It was something people haven’t seen before. You wonder whether they are reflecting the general public, but I think they haven’t in this case,” she said.
“Sometimes we have to say, ‘This is important,’ and have the courage of our convictions. It’s very gratifying that people are spending a long time in front of the objects and really experiencing them. You get an insight into an ancient world you don’t get in other periods when you just have stone tools.”
Ice Age: Arrival of the Modern Mind runs until May 26, admission £10.
