Henri Matisse's The Parakeet and the Mermaid. A Matisse-Picasso show in 2002 set the previous Tate record with 467,166 visitors. Photograph: Nils Jorgensen/Rex Features  A Matisse exhibition has proved to be Tate's most popular ever show by some margin, with visitor numbers exceeding half a million for the first time.  Figures published on Monday showed that Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs received 562,622 visitors, surpassing the Matisse Picasso exhibition of 2002, the previous record holder at 467,166; and the Damien Hirst exhibition of 2012, with 463,087.  Tate's director, Nicholas Serota, who co-curated latest show, put its success down "to the joyous quality of the works themselves". He added: "Also the fact they have not been brought together for nearly 40 years captured people's imagination. People were aware that this would be a one off opportunity they might have in their lifetime."  The cut-outs, produced between 1937 and Matisse's death in 1954, represented a glorious final chapter in a long artistic career and the Tate show was one of a number of big exhibitions in the UK exploring the later works of a series artists, with Late Turner at Tate Britain opening last week and next month Rembrandt's late works at the National Gallery.  Tate visitor numbers were revealed in an annual report which showed that 7.04 million people visited its four galleries –Britain, Modern, Liverpool and St Ives – in 2013-14. That is down on the 7.7 million the previous year – but was to be expected, says Tate, given the Olympics spike of 2012 and the now completed redevelopment of Tate Britain.  Tate Modern retained its position as the most-visited gallery of modern and contemporary work in the world and Serota said its £215m extension would open to the public, as scheduled, in 2016.  Tate also revealed details of some of the work which will be lent to galleries around the UK including Tracey Emin's My Bed, which will go to her hometown gallery of Turner Contemporary in Margate; David Hockney's My parents, which will go to the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Art in Norwich; and Wassily Kandinsky's Cossacks, which will travel to mima in Middlesbrough.
Show at Tate Modern proves to be a cut above the rest for visitor numbers, with 562,622 people taking in artist's later works