Shanghai's most worthwhile new exhibition is a stunning journey through Paris a century ago
🧚♀️ Shanghai has recently gathered a lot of new exhibitions, and the one I think is the most worth visiting is the exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 'Modern Paris 1914-1945'. It takes you back to the golden age of Paris a hundred years ago, and it's super impressive!
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💯 Moreover, in this museum, you can see 3 exhibitions at once, which is definitely a great place to go on the weekend!
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🌈 The entire exhibition retrospectively explores the emergence and flourishing of modernity in Paris during the last century's golden age from a rich and interwoven perspective, presenting more than three hundred exhibits, including architectural models, manuscripts, paintings, jewelry, photography, films, clothing, and a digital space created by DS+R architectural firm.
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📽️ From intimate interior spaces to the grand scale of urban planning, from jewelry to clothing and then to film images, the exhibition presents what can be described as a thirty-year history of creative passion for the city of Paris.
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‼️ According to the introduction, this exhibition has been in planning for seven years, and the entire preparation time took three years!
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♨️ Key points:
🎞️ There is a considerable number of projection screens arranged in a matrix, offering an immersive experience to see historical footage of people visiting, constructing, and climbing the Eiffel Tower, their colorful nightlife, and even stage recordings of singers and dancers of that time, definitely a flowing Parisian feast full of imagination and atmosphere.
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🚗 Inside the exhibition hall, there is a 1939 Citroën car that was transported from France. This well-preserved relic is the world's first front-wheel-drive car, which can still be driven today, and it is the most expensive exhibit in terms of transportation costs.
✈️ The airplane model that appears overhead is one that the author of 'The Little Prince' personally piloted.
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🪑 In the modern interior design exhibition series, you can see the original furniture of that time.
🏠 A house has been reconstructed in the exhibition hall. Every piece of wood and steel compass support was transported from abroad and then assembled on-site in the exhibition hall, allowing visitors to perceive the 'demountable houses' of that time.
👗 The display of the new fashion trends for women at the beginning of the last century by many luxury brands in Paris.
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💕 Exhibition name: Modern Paris 1914-1945
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🉑️ Free exhibitions:
💛 Exhibition name: The Way of Shadows - 3F
🏠 Ten landmark shadows scattered in the 'city-town-village' three different daily environments in the south are gathered at the exhibition site, with six umbrella-shaped structures of different sizes interspersed among them, and the most interesting part is that there are also scenes with chess, Gomoku, Mahjong, etc.
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🧡 Exhibition name: Catching the Wind and Shadows - 3F
🪭 The 'Catching the Wind and Shadows' project by Chanel Culture Fund and the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai, with the theme of Fujian Minnan characteristics, allows visitors to experience the culture of craftsmanship through boat models, glove puppetry, paper-crafting... and also enjoy the unbeatable river view.
It's worth a visit. Located in Huangpu District, take the subway to Xizang South Road Station and walk for 10 minutes to reach the Museum of Contemporary Art. As soon as you enter, you'll see two large bunches of yellow flowers (forgive me for being unable to describe their beauty). There are many videos on the second floor. You can sit down and quietly look at them for a long time. Each painting has a unique charm. It's beautiful and fun. The ticket also includes Manuka honey.
"Can the flowers hear the bees?" This theme is wonderful! Here, you should not only see with your eyes, but also learn to hear with your ears—the children's songs, the whispers in the smoke, even the breathing of the buildings themselves…
🏛️ "Life is like Architecture - I.M. Pei Shanghai Tour" 📍 Location: Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art (No. 678 Miaojiang Road, Huangpu District) 📅 Exhibition period: 2025.4.26-7.20 (Note: some webpages show that the exhibition period is extended to 7.27, it is recommended to confirm) 🎫 Ticket price: Adult ticket 60 yuan (single exhibition) Architecture double exhibition ticket (including I.M. Pei + Siza exhibition) 100 yuan (more recommended, you can see two exhibitions at once)
Close to the Huangpu River, it was originally a power plant in Nanshi, Shanghai, and now it has been converted into an art museum, retaining the structure of the plant, the iconic chimney, and some equipment pipes to tell the story of the year to young people. The interior decoration uses high-tech technology, and there are many exhibitions every year to showcase modern and advanced art works. The upstairs platform can blow the river breeze and overlook the Huangpu River. Tired, there is a coffee shop to taste coffee snacks. It is worth seeing here that history and modern harmony coexist.
The Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art was converted from the original Nanshi Power Plant and opened on October 1, 2012. This public art museum still maintains the style of contemporary industrial architecture, including a 165-meter-high chimney and a large indoor space.
From the first floor bookstore, lobby and terraces, it is very interesting.
Many exhibitions in the Museum of Contemporary Art are open to the public for free, and because the area is large enough, you can basically see 2-3 exhibitions in one visit. For art lovers, this is really a treasure. The atrium on the first floor is currently a rest area with many chairs for tourists to rest. There is a small counter next to it, selling coffee, tea and a small amount of desserts, with prices slightly higher than Starbucks. For those who want to spend a day here, they may have to make do with eating something to fill their hunger.
Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art (I) Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art is located at No. 200, Huayuangang Road, Huangpu District. It stands by the Huangpu River. From the terrace, you can see the southern part of the Huangpu River, the Luwan Riverside section, and the Nanpu Bridge across the Huangpu River in the distance. This was originally the Urban Future Pavilion in the Puxi exhibition area of the 2010 World Expo. It was transformed from the old factory building of the former Nanshi Power Plant. In 2012, it was rebuilt into the first public contemporary art museum in mainland China. It is a landmark urban public cultural activity center integrating contemporary art exhibitions, collections, research, exchanges, and experiential education. It covers an area of 42,000 square meters and a construction area of 15,000 square meters. There are 12 exhibition halls of various sizes, as well as libraries, research rooms, lecture halls, etc. It is a large art museum that can conduct international exchanges. Today, I will share with you its architectural features - strong nostalgia + industrial style design. The main building of the Museum of Contemporary Art is a rectangular factory building. Outside the factory building, the iconic tall chimney is retained, which is 165 meters high and marked with real-time temperature. It can be clearly seen even on the other side of the Huangpu River, which is very eye-catching. It is not only a city landmark in Shanghai but also a special exhibition space. The interior of the museum is tall and spacious. The highest cantilever of the hall is 45 meters, which goes directly from the first floor to the seventh floor. Near the top, the driving and long-distance driving tracks of the original Nanshi Power Plant are retained. It is a typical industrial style + nostalgic style decoration, and it is also a typical contemporary art installation. It makes people feel bright when they enter the door... Here are a few more wonderful micro-carving works in the ongoing exhibition. The photos of these micro-carving works were taken with the mobile phone lens facing the microscope lens. If you zoom in, you can see the beautiful small calligraphy. It is no exaggeration to call it ingenious.