SHENZHEN ART MUSEUM
Introduction
Shenzhen Art Museum is idyllically situated in the Shenzhen Reservoir Scenic Area of East Lake Park in Luohu District. The museum is surrounded by mountains and blue waters which offer a picturesque backdrop of beautiful natural scenery and the perfect cultural sanctuary for fine art.
Shenzhen Art Museum, formerly known as Shenzhen Exhibition Hall, was founded in 1976 and officially renamed Shenzhen Art Museum after approval from the municipal government in 1987 and following the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. The museum covers a total area of 5,500㎡ with a floor space of 2,800㎡and an exhibition area of 1,200㎡.
Since its establishment, Shenzhen Art Museum has been able to effectively take advantage of its proximity to Hong Kong and Macao, offering visitors an insightful 'cultural window' through hosting various activities and promoting artistic exchanges both domestically and abroad. In 2002, Shenzhen Art Museum began placing greater emphasis on 'focusing on contemporary urban and domestic art' as its main academic targets. The museum plans the annual 'China Contemporary Art Thematic Exhibition’ and the 'Shenzhen Local Art Thematic Exhibition’, shaping a positive and reputable image of a city museum. In more recent years, Shenzhen Art Museum has continued to strive towards providing a complete range of services for professional artists, art lovers and the general public - presenting a comprehensive window into the world of art. It continues to actively develop and build its image through creating a fully public service-orientated art museum for everyone to enjoy.
Collections
Throughadheringtoitsacademicfocus,ShenzhenArtMuseumhasactivelyacquiredawiderangeofartworkstograduallybuildupextensiveanddiversecollections,suchasthe'Classic20CenturyArtMasters’collection,'ChinaContemporaryArt’collectionand'ShenzhenLocalArt’collection.Thesecurrentcollectionsamountto4608workswhichincludeartisticmediumssuchastraditionalChinesepaintings,oilpaintings,printmaking,sculptures,calligraphy,watercolors,caricatures,papercuttings,andphotography.ThecollectionsincludeworksbyfamouspastartistssuchasPanTianshou,ZhaoWangyun,JiangZhaohe,LiKeren,WuZuoren,YeQianyu,LiKuchan,HuangZhou,WuGuanzhong,LuYanshao,ChengShifa,TangYun,GuanLiang,GuanShanyue,LiXiongcai,andLaiShaoqi.ThecollectionsalsoincludeworksbycontemporaryartistssuchasZhangXiaogang,YueMinjun,FangLijun,WangGuangyi,ZengFanzhi,ZhouChunya,HeDuoling,XuJiang,andYeYongqing.AlsofeaturedareoutstandingpiecesbylocalawardwinningartistswhohaveparticipatedinrenownednationalexhibitionsandwhoareabletocapturethelocalspiritandagesofShenzhenthroughtheirworks.
Exhibitions
In the early days, Shenzhen Art Museum held a series of important art exhibitions to promote Chinese art, such as the 'Twelfth National Printmaking Exhibition’, the 'Seventh National Gouache, Watercolor and Pastel Painting Arts Exhibition’, as well as exhibitions by such masters as Wu Changshuo, Feng Zikai, Huang Binhong, Xu Beihong, Fu Baoshi, Jiang Zhaohe, Li Keran, Wu Zuoren, Li Kuchan, Huang Zhou and Wu Guanzhong. Shenzhen Art Museum also successfully held the nationally influential Shenzhen Art Festival in 1985. In terms of contemporary art and complimenting its own academic ambitions, the museum has also hosted a series of academic and influential contemporary art exhibitions from 'The Image Of Concept” - a 2002 Chinese contemporary oil paintings invitational exhibition, to 'The Flow” - a 2015 contemporary arts exhibition. Through paying close attention to local art, artists and creations, as well as being continuously involved in the local art scene, Shenzhen Art Museum has been able to plan various elaborate local art solo and group exhibitions. These exhibitions show off the abundance in creativity and skill that local Shenzhen artists possess. Looking to the future, Shenzhen Art Museum will continue to play host to a series of art exhibitions featuring works by famous artists, and give witness to the changes, developments, inheritance and innovations of Chinese art over time.
Academic Research
Shenzhen Art Museum is fully focused on the present status and criticisms of contemporary artistic creations and works. Through keenly observing problems identified with contemporary art, the museum has been raising a number of issues worthy of attention and providing thought-provoking ideas to be discussed among the relevant art circles. As a result, in addition to hosting contemporary art exhibitions and in order to adhere to its academic positioning, the Shenzhen Art Museum Forum is another major initiative. The Forum is held once every two years and has already enjoyed a number of successful sessions, resulting in publications such as 'A New Vision of Art' and 'Art and Society', among other forum theme-related papers. This series of academic activities not only provides a platform. and positive atmosphere to critique art, but also, to a certain extent, promotes the further development of Chinese contemporary artistic works and contemporary art criticism. The related papers and articles provide in-depth discussions, theoretical support and understanding of both Chinese contemporary art and art from the different artistic periods throughout history.
Public Education
In more recent years, Shenzhen Art Museum has been able to integrate public education into its exhibitions by taking advantage of its own diverse collections, thematic exhibitions and academic resources. A wide range of experiences have been offered to visitors such as comprehensive audio guides, volunteer led tours, lectures, art salons, seminars, symposiums, face-to-face classroom teachings, interactive activities aimed at children, and activities focused towards teenagers and college students. These experiences and activities fully embody the values of public welfare and community spirit held by Shenzhen Art Museum. To achieve this, Shenzhen Art Museum continues to strengthen its team of professional volunteers and launch training sessions and lectures concerning competency and professional skills to help improve volunteers’ abilities as tour operators - ultimately providing a better service to the public. In addition, Shenzhen Art Museum is also listed as a “key teaching and research base” for Shenzhen art schools, a fine arts education base for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of Shenzhen, an internship and vocational training base for both Shenzhen University College of Art and Design and Shenzhen Polytechnic, as well as an activity base for the Meilin and Lianhua North local communities.
Organizational Structure
Shenzhen Art Museum is a government-affiliated institution under the direct governance of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of Shenzhen. The operations of the museum consist of an executive office and three departments (Promotion and Curatorial Department, Research and Collections Department, and the Exhibitions and Displays Department).
Contact Us
Address: No. 32 East Lake Street, Ai Guo Road, Shenzhen
Opening Hours: 09:00am - 17:00pm
Closed On Mondays | Open All Year Round | Free Admission
How To Find Us
By Public Transport: Take city bus routes 3, 17, 308, or 320 to “水库”(ShuiKu/Reservoir) bus stop. Then, enter East Lake (Dong Hu) Park and follow the signs. Once inside the park, at the first crossroads please turn left towards Qu Wei Zoo where the museum is located at the end of the road.