More than 20,000 visitors to MAMA since October 2 opening

More than 20,000 visitors have been inside MAMA since its opening just two months ago.

MAMA director Jacqui Hemsley said the visitor numbers had surpassed all expectations ahead of a major exhibition, Impressions of Paris:  Lautrec, Degas, Daumier, starting on December 12.

The former art gallery had 24,000 visitors in its final year before shutting to way for MAMA.

“I thank the Albury and broader community for embracing MAMA the way it has,” Ms Hemsley said.

“If you haven’t been to MAMA yet, please come and see us.

"And if you have been, please come again because MAMA is constantly changing.”

Of the visitors to MAMA, 43 per cent have been female, 33 per cent male and 19 per cent have been children.

Ms Hemsley said an estimated 70 per cent of visitors had been local and 30 per cent had been from out of town.

People had travelled from Melbourne, Sydney and Ballarat specifically to see MAMA.

Ms Hemsley said MAMA had hosted almost 2500 students in October which is more than the former gallery hosted in its entire last year.

“To see so many young people visiting MAMA has been extremely rewarding,” she said.

Albury mayor Henk van de Ven said the crowd numbers were outstanding and urged residents to take their summer holiday visitors to MAMA.

“I thank all the MAMA staff for their hard work and dedication to making this new art museum a success for our community,” he said.

Impressions of Paris:  Lautrec, Degas, Daumier is an exhibition of more than 150 prints, posters, drawings and monotypes by the Impressionist masters on loan from the collection of the National Gallery of Australia.

MAMA will open its first blockbuster exhibition, Marilyn: Celebrating an American Icon, in February.

Albury Council recently confirmed the final cost of MAMA blew out by $700,000 from $10.5 million to $11.2 million.

It was softened by an additional $300,000 from the federal government.