Museums open to a new age

Art museums and galleries in Shanghai have been busy getting ready to reopen their doors after three months because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Yuz Museum has been working with overseas collectors and agencies on the extension of the contract for borrowed artworks appearing in the exhibition of Yoshitomo Nara, the largest showcase of the Japanese artist's work in China. The event, originally scheduled to take place from March 5 to Sept 4.

According to Sun Yuanchen, director of marketing and business development of the Yuz Museum, about 30,000 "early bird" tickets were sold before the museum was forced to close on March 9 due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak. Although the museum offered a refund, the majority decided to hold on to their tickets.

"As such, we want to extend the exhibition for as long as possible to make sure people can view it," says Sun.

The museum also introduced an online shop selling merchandise linked to featured artists during the lockdown as a means of connecting with art lovers.

"We wanted to reach as many people as possible, so we set a limit for each person to buy no more than two items. Even though no merchandise could be shipped during the lockdown in April and May, the sales were beyond our expectations. The buyers are from all over the country," says Sun.