One block west of the Bund you can find the Rockbund Art Museum, housed in Shanghai’s former Royal Asiatic Society building (1932). Like many of the grande dame Bund buildings, RAS was dreamt up by British design firm Palmer and Turner and done to the nines in art deco style. The museum hosts its share of heavy hitters from the contemporary art world, such as Zhang Huan, Cai Guo-Qiang, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Rockbund is small but charming, especially the tranquil top-floor café and lounge, which give way to a small terrace overlooking the Pudong skyline.
David Chipperfield Architects, RAM, Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai, China. Reception area.
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Center for Creativity in Shanghai
In a stately 1930s art deco building the Rockbund Art Museum exhibits work by some of China’s most renowned contemporary artists, including mixed-media gurus Cai Guo-Qiang and Zhang Huan, as well as installations by the Italian artist Paola Pivi. The museum holds free lectures on art, technology, and music. A recent series explored urban creativity in Shanghai.
