The Tate Modern welcomed a record 5.3m visitors in 2012, an increase of 9.5 per cent on 2011.
The Damien Hirst exhibition alone attracted 463,000 people to the London art gallery.
Its successful year has also been attributed to the opening of the
Tanks live art space in summer, Tino Sehgal's performance art in the Turbine Hall and the Edvard Munch exhibition.
Partner gallery Tate Britain attracted 1.53m visitors over the same period and is currently experiencing high demand for its
Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant-Garde exhibit, which closes 13 January.
