Editor's note:
Architecture is frozen music, an epic of stone and a cultural monument. An art museum epitomizes this.
In this "Art unfrozen: a journey through Shanghai's cultural monuments" series, we will guide you through an immersive experience, varying from the museum's special architecture style, and gift shops to its cafeteria or coffee shops in the museum's neighborhood.
Aiming to level up with the world's top museums such as the Pompidou Center in Paris, Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and the Tate in London, the art museums in Shanghai have been "blossoming" in the past decade.
Visiting museums has become a lifestyle, a kind of social activity or recreation. In fact, the charm of an art museum permeates every corner.
As well as the exhibitions inside, what else can visitors enjoy on a cozy weekend afternoon at a museum?
Now get ready for a museum trip!
Along the Shanghai Corniche, an 8.5-kilometer frontage on the northern bank of the Huangpu River, a promenade connects Xuhui District to the historic Bund and forms a key part of the West Bund, which envisages a new cultural district over 9 square kilometers of former industrial land.
Once home to the city's earliest iron, coal, grain and oil industries, the former coal wharf, cement factory and giant fuel tanks have been converted into cultural venues.
Among them, the West Bund Museum, which has tied up with the Centre Pompidou, is a major attraction.
Over a five-year period, the Centre Pompidou and West Bund Museum will host exhibitions, seminars, performing arts, educational activities, and cultural outreach with the aim of boosting cultural and artistic exchanges between China and France.
The museum, which was designed by British architect David Chipperfield, broke ground in 2017.
Two years later, the museum opened to the public on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 55th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-French diplomatic relations.
Architecture style
The museum is located on a triangular piece of property at the northernmost tip of a public park, where Longteng Avenue and the river meet. A raised public esplanade above the floodplain surrounds the structure, providing a beautiful view of the river. The esplanade's eastern edge is defined by a continuous sequence of steps, with landing stages going to the riverbank.
The building is made up of three main gallery volumes arranged in a pinwheel pattern around a central lobby with a double-height atrium.
The three main volumes are 17 meters tall, with an upper and lower level. The lower-level spaces serve a variety of purposes, including a multipurpose hall, an art studio, and educational spaces. These are partly sunk and lit by clerestory windows. A low pavilion housing the café sits near the river's edge. Its elongated shape is meant to maximize river views, while its root acts as a large terrace in front of the upper entrance.
The atrium's roof remains below the principal volumes' rooflines and cantilevers far beyond the building toward the river and the road. The roof is supported at either end by a massive tapering column that draws emphasis to the entrances. The three major volumes are coated in translucent recycled glass, which gives them a complex and opaline appearance. These iridescent facades, which are prismatic at night, contrast with the smooth brightness of the plaster-clad hovering roof canopies.
Cafeteria
The West Bund Museum is an excellent choice for people looking for a coffee break.
Sit at Beaubourg on the second story and face the river, or at Cafe Les Halles at the entrance on the first floor, a blend of abstraction and minimalism not only entertains the eyes but also the taste buds. One will find the familiar tableau of Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) or Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) on the surface of a cake.
A photo on the cake is sure to win you a lot of likes from your WeChat friends.
For parents who bring their children to the museum, Le Chai on the B1 level is an excellent option for pleasant family time. Catering to the needs of both parents and kids, the food concentrates on nutritious and healthful family recipes.
Gift shop best-sellers
Pillow collection
Taking inspiration from Jean-Charles de Castelbajac's exhibition "People of Tomorrow," the pillow collection showcases the artist's intricately designed symbols, encapsulating the essence of his unique artistic language, boundless creativity, and resplendent colors that evoke viewers' innate artistic sensibility.
Elevate your surroundings with these exquisite pillows, allowing them to transport you to a realm of profound imagination and boundless inspiration, encapsulating the enigmatic world of symbols from the exhibition, all at your home.
Opulent color pencil set
On the occasion of Kandinsky's 155th birth anniversary in 2021, the Centre Pompidou × West Bund Museum Project presented the first large-scale retrospective exhibition in Asia, titled "Kandinsky: The Pioneer of Abstract Art." This exhibition took the audience on a captivating journey through the vibrant world of the 20th-century art maestro.
Inspired by his works, the museum has collaborated with Chung Hwa, an eminent Chinese pencil brand, to unveil the opulent 36-color water-soluble colored pencil set. The set comprises colored pencils, artist-grade sketchbooks, and coloring posters, meticulously crafted to resound with Kandinsky's artistic ethos.
It epitomizes the fruitful synthesis of an esteemed Chinese heritage brand and a visionary master artist, symbolizing the harmonious fusion of Eastern and Western cultures.