The Shanghai Art Museum () was an

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. Although primarily co ...

in the city of

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. In October 2012, the museum was rebranded as the China Art Museum when it moved to the

China pavilion at Expo 2010 The China pavilion at Expo 2010 () in Pudong, Shanghai, colloquially known as the Oriental Crown (), was the largest national pavilion at the Shanghai Expo and the largest display in the history of the World Expo. It was also the most expensiv ...

on the former Shanghai

Expo 2010 Expo 2010, officially the Expo 2010 Shanghai China, was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, from 1 May to 31 October 2010. It was a major World Expo registered by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), in the t ...

lands. The Shanghai Art Museum building is the former clubhouse building of the

Shanghai Race Club The Shanghai Race Club was a horse racing club located in Shanghai, China. The Club was based at the Shanghai Racecourse (), and the two names are often used interchangeably. Originally the Race Committee of the International Recreation Club, the R ...

. It sits on the western edge of People's Park, north of

People's Square People's Square is a large public square in the Huangpu District of Shanghai. It is south of Nanjing Road (West) and north of Huaihai Road (East). People's Square is the site of Shanghai's municipal government headquarters building and th ...

, which was once the Shanghai race course. The Shanghai Art Museum was the original home of the

Shanghai Biennale The Shanghai Biennale is one of the highest-profile contemporary art events in Shanghai and the most established art biennale in China. It was initially held in the Shanghai Art Museum. From 2012 on, it has been hosted in Power Station of Art, th ...

, founded in 1996 by Fang Zengxian, then director of the museum. The former museum building is being converted to house the Shanghai History Museum, which had been left without a home due to redevelopment since 1999.

History of the Shanghai Art Museum building

The Shanghai Art Museum building is located on the south side of Nanjing Road (West). The building has an area of 2,200 sq m. The building was constructed in 1933, as the clubhouse for the

race course. The horse race course was reputed to be the third most profitable industry during the 1930s (during the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...

era). In 1955, the building was renovated and a terrace was constructed on the roof. The goal was mainly to enable the architects to build wider stairs leading to the clock tower, so that youth can easily visit the tower. The building has one of the most prominent clock towers in the city after the

Customs House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

clock tower on

the Bund The Bund or Waitan (, Shanghainese romanization: ''Nga3thae1'', , ) is a waterfront area and a protected historical district in central Shanghai. The area centers on a section of Zhongshan Road (East Zhongshan Road No.1) within the former S ...

. The clock tower at the Art Museum has historically been associated with decay and corruption in the city, as it was often inaccurate. However, it was renovated in 2006 and has been accurate since then.

Events

Shanghai Art Museum was the home to the

, which started from 1996. The Shanghai Biennale is considered one of the most important cultural events in Shanghai. In 2012, the Shanghai Biennale moved to the new

Power Station of Art The Power Station of Art is a contemporary art museum in Shanghai. Housed in a former power station, it is China's first state-run contemporary art museum. Converting the building cost $64 million which was paid for by the Shanghai government. ...

Notes

References

External links

Museum website
{{Coord, 31.2326, 121.4665, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1933 Museums established in 1956 2012 disestablishments in China Museums in Shanghai Art museums and galleries in China Defunct art museums and galleries Huangpu District, Shanghai

History of the Shanghai Art Museum building

Events

See also

Notes

References

External links