This thesis is exploring the special characteristics of art exhibitions in a cultural tourism context. The focus is to identify the success factors of art exhibitions concentrating on different examples from literature. These success factors will then be applied to the Dresden State Art collections and one of their special exhibitions. The main question that the author will try to answer is: What factors are relevant for the success of art exhibitions and how can they be used to help art museums and galleries prevail against the competition in art and cultural tourism?