Literary and artistic hotspots annual review | What does the Shencheng art exhibition "Blowout" illustrate?

Not long after the large-scale retrospective exhibition "Happy Melody" by Raoul Duffy at the West Bund Museum and "Matisse's Matisse" at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art Shanghai Branch, the Shanghai Museum's "Dialogue with Leonardo da Vinci: Renaissance and Oriental Aesthetic Art Exhibition" and the exhibition "Caravaggio and the Baroque Miracle" at the Pudong Art Museum opened again...... If there is one word to describe the 2023 paid art exhibition in Shanghai, it must be "blowout".

Shanghai Museum "Dialogue with Leonardo da Vinci - Renaissance and Oriental Aesthetics Art Exhibition"

Statistics from the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism show that in the first half of this year alone, there were 104 paid exhibitions in the city's art galleries. From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, all kinds of paid art exhibitions in Shanghai have been held one after another, and there have been many "big hits" and "phenomenal". For example, the Shanghai Museum's "From Botticelli to Van Gogh: Masterpieces from the National Gallery" received more than 420,000 visitors in 98 days, setting a new record for a single paid special exhibition in a domestic museum. "600 Years of Masterpieces: Masterpieces from the National Museum of Thyssen-Bornemisza" attracted more than 400,000 visitors to the Museum of Art Pudong during the exhibition period, including a maximum of 6,631 visitors in a single day, setting a new record for the number of visitors since the museum's opening.

In addition to the "best", what attracts more attention is the renewal of the concept: first, in addition to private art venues, state-owned museums such as the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Library, and Shanghai History Museum have also joined the lineup of special exhibitions of paid art; second, in addition to the familiar names such as Monet, Van Gogh, Dalí, Picasso, etc., the introduction of "new faces" that are slightly unfamiliar to ordinary audiences but have made remarkable artistic achievements; third, the curatorial process integrates the museum's thinking and attitude towards world civilization, so that the exchanges, dialogues, and Mutual learning is more active and effective.

Enhance the right to speak in exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations

Among the many paid art exhibitions in Shanghai, the "Masterpieces from the National Gallery" held from January 17 to May 7 this year is undoubtedly of benchmark significance. This is the first paid special exhibition held by self-financing since the establishment of the Shanghai Museum, and it is also the first paid exhibition of a state-owned public cultural institution in Shanghai after the promulgation of the Measures for the Administration of Fees for Public Cultural Facilities in Shanghai. Before the exhibition opened, it had already topped the list of China's "Top Ten Hot Search Exhibitions". During the 98-day exhibition, the number of visitors, ticket sales, and cultural and creative sales all set a record for domestic paid special exhibitions. In addition, the exhibition has played a significant role in driving the sales and popularity of catering, shopping, accommodation, parking and other services around the museum.

When the popularity was bursting, Chu Xiaobo, director of the Shanghai Museum, realized that all the exhibits this time were from the British National Gallery, and all the content displayed was the history of European painting, lacking the pattern and vision of cultural exchanges and dialogues between China and the West. "It's not really a cultural success. Our more important mission is to enhance the discourse power of art in the exchange and mutual learning of civilizations, and strive to let the world's peers recognize the research ability and curatorial level of Chinese cultural and museum institutions. Therefore, after the "Masterpieces from the British National Gallery", the Shanghai Museum decided to hold an exhibition called "Dialogue with the World". "To have a dialogue rather than just listening", in addition to introducing overseas collections, the Shanghai Museum also exhibited its own collections - the planning of the special exhibition "Dialogue with Leonardo da Vinci" with Chinese and Western art was launched. It is a time of art and technology, East and West, with 18 treasures of Renaissance art and 18 masterpieces of ancient Chinese painting on display. In the exhibition hall, the Chinese "flower window" echoes the Italian "arch", and the woman with the most oriental charm in Leonardo da Vinci's painting and the lady in the painting of Tang Yin, a contemporary painter of the Ming Dynasty, look at each other in the air, as if Chinese and Western artists are in dialogue through time and space.

Previously, at the West Bund Museum's special exhibition "Paintings of the Origin: Surrealism and the Orient", the treasures of the Shanghai Museum and the treasures of the Centre Pompidou in France met wonderfully, drawing people's attention to why the "homology of calligraphy and painting" in traditional Chinese painting has a long-lasting resonance in Western surrealist painting. From the perspective of the industry, when Bada Shanren and Miro live in the same time and space, this exhibition promoted by multiple parties opens up a new perspective for cross-cultural, cross-border and cross-museum exchanges and cooperation. At the same time, it also brings enlightenment to the further establishment of cultural self-confidence and the "going out" of Chinese culture.

Introduce "new faces" to broaden the dimension of art appreciation

Another phenomenon that has attracted much attention is that this year's paid art exhibitions in Shanghai continue to introduce "new faces" to broaden the dimension of art appreciation.

The special exhibition "Daydreaming: The Wonderful World of Naïve Artists" at Jiushi Art Museum is the first exhibition in China of the naïve painters, who were highly admired by Picasso. The Childish School was composed of a group of French amateur painters who were active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and their simple and naïve painting methods were quite appealing.

The Ullens Center for Contemporary Art Shanghai is the first comprehensive retrospective of German conceptual artist Thomas Diemande's exhibition in China. One of the most influential artists of our time, Dimand has a unique approach to combining sculpture and photography – creating papier-mâché replications, taking photographs of papier-mâché models, and finally destroying them.

HOW Art Museum's "Tracing Self-Nature" special exhibition is the first comprehensive exhibition in Asia by Friedrich Einhoff, one of Germany's most famous expressionist artists. The artist delves into human nature in his creations, and his paintings have even been likened to "landscapes of the human soul", which is eye-opening.

The West Bund Museum's "Happy Melody" special exhibition introduced the public to Raoul Dufy, a French artist known for conveying the joy of life. The artist is no less famous in the history of Western art than Chagall, Matisse, Picasso and other contemporaries, and embodies the most optimistic side of the 20th century with a distinctive modernism.

In addition, this year's paid art exhibition in Shanghai has also extended from the field of pure art to more cross-border categories.

For example, Shanghai Library's first paid exhibition, "Around the World in 80 Days: A Fantastic Journey Through the World in 150 Years", is inspired by the science fiction novel of the same name by French writer Jules Verne, "Around the World in 80 Days", leading readers to follow in the footsteps of Fogg, the protagonist of the story, and experience first-hand how science and economics have promoted the process and development of modern human civilization.

The exhibition "Memphis Again: Design Innovation 1981-1985" at the Ikura Art Museum and the "70 Years of Leading the Trend - Classic Design Works of the Italian Compasso d'Or" exhibition at the Kube Art Space, etc., all focus on the field of design, "Kengo Kuma: Architecture of the Five Senses" at Fosun Art Center, "Catalogue of the Westward Journey: Southeast Garden Villas: Architect Tong Ning (1900-1983)" at the Jiushi Art Museum, etc., all focus on the field of architecture, and "Wuyang Park" at chi K11 Art Museum The exhibition "Modern Paris 1914-1945: Architecture, Design, Film, Fashion" at Power Station of Art integrates painting, jewelry design, photography, film, clothing, architecture and other categories. The Shanghai History Museum's "Unforgettable Heart - 20th Century Brooch Art Exhibition" presents the most "intimate" art with more than 1,000 vintage brooches.

Some local Chinese contemporary masters have also entered the field of vision of more art lovers from the special exhibition. The "Zhang Enli: Expressions" exhibition and the "Ren Zhong Ink and Wash Danqing Art Exhibition" presented by the West Bund Pavilion of the Long Museum, and the photography exhibition "Lens, Times, People" by Liu Xiangcheng presented by the Pudong Art Museum are among the representatives.

According to Fu Jun, art critic and director of the Art Museum of Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute, the blowout of paid art exhibitions in Shanghai this year reflects the public's strong demand for high-quality art exhibitions. She observed that cultural consumption in Shanghai tends to be mature and rational, and people are willing to pay for many cultural products, including art exhibitions, as long as the quality is good enough. Compared with previous years, the average level of this year's paid art exhibitions in Shanghai is indeed much higher. On the other hand, this trend is a sign that Shanghai's art exhibitions are becoming more and more in line with the international community, and that in many countries, special exhibition fees are a common phenomenon. Of course, she also pointed out that the cost of holding high-quality art exhibitions is now rising all over the world, and more and more funds need to be invested, which also puts forward higher requirements for how to plan exhibitions and organize exhibitions to take into account social and economic benefits.

Text丨Reporter Li Ting Fan Xin

Picture丨Ye Chenliang

Editor丨Lu Lina