The artist influences left behind by some of the world’s greatest painters continue to draw Aussies, Americans and people from the Republic of China into France with French museum, the Lourve attracting record numbers in 2011.

The home of some of the world’s most famous paintings including the Mona Lisa, the Lourve saw attendance up five percent over 2010, with up to 8.8 million visitors stepping through its doors last year, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

According to the Museum, up to 66 percent of Museum-goers were based abroad with Australians, Americans, people from China, Italians and Brazilians making up the majority of foreign visitors.

“A strong return of American visits and a more and more marked presence of visitors from emerging countries,” a Museum statement received by media read.

A survey conducted by The Art Newspaper in London found that the British Museum followed the Lourve as the second more-visited museum last year.