Opened on November 28, 1997, Guangdong Museum of Art is a modern multi-functional museum of plastic art, which is non-profit cultural institution open to the public and serving the society and social development. From June 29, 2011, it has been free to visit. In the same year, it was named as a national key museum of art.Guangdong Museum of Art covers a total area of 22,000 square meters. The exhibition area consists of 12 exhibition halls with a total area of8,000 square meters and 5,000 square meters of outdoor sculpture display area, where can stage large-scale exhibitions or different themes exhibition, respectively or simultaneously.
[Functions]
Guangdong Museum of Art has six functions, including collection, display and exhibition, education, communication, and service By and large, the functions can be divided into three purposes: (1) academic purpose, (2) education purpose, and (3) leisure purpose. Guangdong Museum of Art endeavors to create and reflect the characteristics of a public-welfare cultural institution: First, the academic purpose. It launches its work with an open international horizon and prudent attitude toward the art history and establishes its academic propositions with influence in the diversified academic context. Second, the education purpose. It permeates into the participation of audiences through visual art, exhibition method and interactive means so that the audience may be influenced by the artistic education. Third, the leisure purpose. It creates a pleasant and relaxed cultural and leisure venue through the beautiful environment and elegant artistic atmosphere, as well as the services provided.
[Academics]
Guangdong Museum of Art takes “Chinese modern and contemporary coastal art, overseas Chinese art and Chinese contemporary art” as the direction of academic research and collection, strengthens international exchange by centering around the the idea of “taking root in local soil, concerning domestic art, and strengthening international exchange”, emphasize the “coastal nature” and “contemporary nature”. Guangdong Museum of Art presents the historic and current domestic and international cultural spirit to the vast of audiences in the form of art, by adhering to the conscious and independent academic consciousness, with an open and diversified academic attitude. It focuses on not only the research on and demonstration of modern fine art, but also the concern with modern art. In the forms and types of art, it pays attention to the development and transformation of traditional forms such as ink painting, oil painting, printmaking and sculpture in the modern context, while concerning itself with new forms such as installations and video, so that collections, to a certain extent, reflect the development status quo and overall characteristics of the contemporary art.
Guangdong Museum of Art has collected 36,000 pieces (sets) of works and is committed to examining arts in the historic or social context to activate collections resources on multiple aspects. In recent years, Guangdong Museum of Art has planned collections exhibition and art exhibitions in various forms, including “Custom, Elegance and Odes: The 15th Anniversary Collections Exhibition of Guangdong Museum of Art” in 2013, the “1894: A 100-Year Dream” in 2014, the “Lai Shaqi’s Works Exhibition on His 100th Anniversary” and the “A Century Dialog: Academic Discussion between Lingnan Painting School and Guangdong Chinese Painting Institute” in 2015 and “I Love Sunshine and Flowers: Zheng Shuang’s Works Exhibition” and “From Chishe to Guangzhou Municipal School of Art” in 2016. All of these exhibitions reflect the concern of Guangdong Museum of Art with Chinese art and Guangdong art in the 20th century.
While promoting the local fine arts and traditional culture, Guangdong Museum of Art created some cultural brands with international influence, including “Guangzhou Three-Year Exhibition” and “Guangzhou International Biennial Photography Exhibition”, and continuously innovates and enriches its exhibition modes and academic propositions, so as to promote the development of Chinese modern art with greater openness. At the same time, Guangdong Museum of Art strengthens international cultural exchange with an international horizon, launches a series of large-scale international forums, including “The Multiple Thinking in the Modern Context — Curators Forum 2016 of Guangdong Museum of Art” in 2016. It maximizes resources sharing through communications and dialogs and jointly promote the development of Chinese art and building of the museum by constructing curating mechanism that is commensurate with the times.
[Service]
Guangdong Museum of Art strives to create a relaxed and comfortable environment: The museum has a lounge area, a reading area, and the “Humanities Library of Guangdong Museum of Art”. Relying on the featured collections and resources, it can make exhibitions in different art forms to provide accessibility of more information for visitors and improve the art quality of the public. It also organizes lectures, tour guides, workshops, “visiting exhibitions together with artists”, “art galleries”, wall art museums and a series of public education activities to help viewers feel works, know exhibitions, and experience art.
In promoting art to the public, Guangdong Museum of Art made multiple explorations in the display space of art, tried to go out of the museum of art and return art to the public, and enabled the public to participate in art activities, with the perfect combination of arts and urban public space, so as to realize the transformation of art exhibition from a single space to multiple open space.