Tickets cost $15 for adults, $7 for children and $40 for a family (two adults and up to three children). For groups of 10 or more, tickets are $12 per person. Buy yours online at eventfinder.co.nz, at the Gallery or at the i-Site information centre in Cathedral Square.

We've had a staggering 36,000 people visiting since the exhibition opened on 2 October. That means it has already surpassed the five paid-entry exhibitions held at the Gallery since we opened in our current location in 2003. Cecil Beaton: Portraits in 2006 was the previous highest paid-entry exhibition, attracting 29,063 visitors.

And with more than two months left to run, Ron Mueck, is also likely to surpass the Buried Army of Qin Shihuang, which showed at the Robert McDougall Gallery in 1986 and was the Gallery's most popular paid-entry exhibition ever. It attracted a record 71,345 visitors.

Director Jenny Harper says she is thrilled at the exhibition's popularity so far. 'With visitors continuing to flow in the doors, it's likely to be the Gallery's most popular paid-entry exhibition. When the National Gallery of Victoria touring exhibition showed in Melbourne and Brisbane earlier this year, it received a total of more than 300,000 visitors, which went beyond their expectations. We are pleased that New Zealand audiences are also responding well to the exhibition.

'While we have now surpassed all previous paid-entry exhibitions since we moved to our current location, it would be wonderful to exceed the numbers at our predecessor gallery and for Ron Mueck to be the most popular pay-to-view art exhibition held in Christchurch since the foundation of its public art gallery.'

Ms Harper believes the popularity of the exhibition is due to its powerful human content. 'We have found that Ron Mueck is attracting many first-time visitors to the Gallery. When Christchurch became the third city – and the sole new Zealand venue – to host this exhibition, we believed it would appeal to a wide range of people, including those who are not traditional Gallery visitors. We are pleased that Ron Mueck is delivering on that promise.'