It was going to be near impossible for the Bendigo Art Gallery to top the record-breaking Elvis: Direct from Graceland exhibition, but with less than three weeks to go organisers are happy with how the Paris exhibition has performed.
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Paris: Impressions of Life 1880 - 1925 will leave the gallery on the national day of France, Bastille Day on July 14.
While the exhibition is not forecast to reach the 219,000 visitor mark Elvis did, it was still generating interest, and from big spenders.
"It's basically right where we anticipated it, so it's doing exactly what it's supposed to do," Bendigo Art Gallery marketing and audience engagement manager Mark Orlandi said.
"The numbers, especially on weekends, are fantastic.
"We know that it's attracting a lot of visitors from Melbourne; those trains that are coming in, especially that 11am that arrives, you can basically see it translate into the gallery for the 11.30am slot."
Exhibition attracted big spenders
The Paris exhibition attracted a more "niche" audience compared to Elvis, Mr Orlandi said.
The audience that was coming for the Paris exhibition was spending more in the community.
"People always tell us that they love coming to Bendigo because they don't just see the gallery, they get the experience throughout the city," he said.
"Which works really well ... the people spend as much as they can in the community and hopefully the City of Greater Bendigo benefits."
Works of art a 'nice surprise'
The exhibition was designed to take visitors on a "promenade through the streets of Paris", showcasing the impressionism streetscapes of the Belle Epoque era.
Whereas the Elvis exhibition was a chronological retelling of Elvis' life, the Paris exhibition was more "thematic", with works taken directly from Paris' Musée Carnavalet.
"It's a nice surprise for [visitors] to see more art that has never been in Australia and that they haven't seen in Paris as well. Not too many people go to the Muset Carnvalet because it's a secondary museum," Mr Orlandi said.
How Paris took over Bendigo
The City of Greater Bendigo has been running the Bonjour Bendigo tourism campaign, which included rebranding the Bendigo sign, redecorating a tram and putting on Paris-themed events in Hargreaves Mall.
Local businesses and restaurants had been encouraged to get on board and provide French-themed experiences.
Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925 was part of the Bendigo International Collections exhibitions, part funded by the state government.
The Bendigo Art Gallery would not release the total number of visitors until the exhibition closed.
Jonathon Magrath
Jonathon has been living and working in Bendigo since March 2021, currently working as a general reporter. Contact him on jonathon.magrath@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Jonathon has been living and working in Bendigo since March 2021, currently working as a general reporter. Contact him on jonathon.magrath@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
