The works of European artist Marc Chagall proved to be a crowd-puller. On show at the Standard Bank Gallery in Johannesburg towards the end of last year, the exhibition drew more than 21,000 visitors during its six week run.

Due to overwhelming public response, the Gallery not only extended its hours and walkabout programme but also the exhibition dates. The Light of Origins closed on December 1 but the Chagall lithograph exhibition at the South African National Gallery in Cape Town continued until January 14.

The educational programme, which involved shadow puppet-making, story telling and walkabouts, was attended by more than 4,000 children from over 50 schools. The adult walkabout programme drew about 300 visitors per lecture. The glossy 176-page exhibition catalogue, postcards of Chagall's works as well as posters were all but sold out at the end of the exhibition. The Gallery also distributed 10,000 resource books, used in conjunction with the educational programme, to schools in Gauteng and Cape Town.

Says Mandie van der Spuy, Standard Bank arts sponsorship manager: "We are thrilled with the public's response to the exhibition and the number of visitors is far more than we expected. Initially, we were concerned that Johannesburg CBD's reputation would discourage visitors but people were obviously determined to see Chagall's works. It proves that South Africans appreciate art and want to be exposed to high profile international artists."