The exhibition entrance area
The "Modern Story – Art Deco in Modern Shanghai" exhibition recently opens on the 5th floor of Shanghai Library East Branch.
Focusing on the development and innovation of Art Deco in the city, the show is divided into five sections and features over 100 rare pieces – including old photographs, design albums, periodicals, posters, furniture and fashion pieces – to reveal how Art Deco became deeply embedded in Shanghai's urban and cultural DNA.
Starting with documentary materials, the exhibition traces the arrival and spread of Art Deco in China, and designers' innovative approaches to theory and practice, and highlights the city's creative reinterpretation of the style through graphic design, architecture and lifestyle aesthetics.
A series of talks and events with scholars and experts in architecture, jewelry and design will accompany the exhibition.
Opening date: June 10, 2025
Venue: Shanghai Library East
上海图书馆东馆
Address: 5/F, 300 Hehuan Rd
合欢路300号5楼
Copies of "Modern Miscellany" (时代) magazine are among featured exhibits. The biweekly magazine first published in Shanghai in 1930 and discontinued in 1937. It covered global and domestic news, art landscapes, portraits, cartoons and photography.
A copy of "The Young Companion" (良友) magazine in 1934. The cover model and overall design reflect strong Art Deco influences.
What is art deco?
Emerging in the 1920s and reaching its peak in the 1930s, Art Deco had a profound impact on nearly every visual art form – from graphic and architectural design to fashion, photography and interiors. Far from a single, uniform style, Art Deco drew inspiration from a wide array of movements and cultures, including Art Nouveau, Cubism, Futurism and Bauhaus, as well as non-Western artistic traditions.
An Art Deco-style rosewood armchair from the Republic of China era, featuring burl wood inlay. This piece is from the collection of the Shanghai History Museum.
Exhibition highlights
1. The Lishui Bathhouse | 丽水浴室
One special feature of the exhibition is the Lishui Bathhouse section, presented in collaboration with Shanghai Daily and its Qiao Shanghai studio.
Built in 1936 just outside Xiaonanmen, the Lishui Bathhouse is a rare surviving example of Shanghai's Art Deco architecture. Following the release of a Qiao Shanghai video about the building in September 2024, public interest surged. This exhibition recreates the bathhouse through present-day photos and historical records, exploring its intricate Art Deco details and evoking memories of longtang (alleyway) life in old Shanghai.
Front view of Lishui Bathhouse
2. Expo Nexus | 世博链接
The exhibition also connects with the "Expo Nexus" a digital project from the World Expo Museum.
This interactive display, currently featured at Expo 2025 Osaka, maps the evolution of World Expos from 1851 to the present. It highlights the close ties formed through World Expos in global cultural and technological exchanges, and the interplay between different editions, offering an immersive journey through global culture and design.
Expo Nexus Exhibit installation at Expo Osaka
Let's explore the distinctive features of each exhibition area.
Section 1
This section explores the early arrival of Art Deco and the influence of Chinese artists who studied in France.
Pioneering figures such as Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian, Pang Xunqin and Liu Jipiao absorbed the latest international movements in Paris and brought those ideas back to China, planting the seeds of modern aesthetics in Shanghai.
Group photo of Chinese artists living in Europe at the Chinese Art Exhibition. Published in "The Eastern Miscellany" (东方杂志) magazine in 1924.
Opening of the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris with an overview of the Chinese pavilion systematic documentation. Published in "The China Times" (时事新报) newspaper in 1925.
Section 2
Returning artists and local innovators blended Expressionism, Constructivism, Futurism and Deco into a distinct Chinese visual language. In this environment, Art Deco took root in both art education and practice, and the concept of "pattern" emerged as a key mode of expression. This era saw a fusion of Eastern and Western, traditional and modern influences, giving rise to uniquely Chinese works with strong national identity.
"The Modern French Decorative Pattern Movement," published in "Apollo" (亚波罗), issue 13 (1934), pp. 39-44. In this article, Lei Guiyuan – who studied in France from 1929 and was the first to systematically introduce Art Deco to Chinese arts education – analyzed the movement and equated "pattern" with "decoration."
"Such is Paris," published in "Modern Miscellany" (时代), vol. 2, issue 3 (1931), p. 8. In August 1925, Pang Xunqin went to France for art studies and visited the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs, which had a profound impact on him. He later adapted traditional Chinese linear patterns into Art Deco-style forms and colors, applying them to commercial art.
Section 3
Focusing on the golden age of publishing and advertising, this section highlights how Art Deco-inspired design reshaped Shanghai's urban visual culture and sparked new waves of creativity among designers. Artistically designed typefaces – often seen in advertisements, book covers, and more – emerged as a unique art form, appearing everywhere from magazine layouts to street signs and weaving modern aesthetics into everyday life.
The "Movie Guide" (银星) magazine, a monthly film magazine first published in Shanghai in September 1926
Pierre Loti's "Madame Chrysanthème," published by The Commercial Press in Shanghai in March 1929. Cover design by Liu Jipiao.
Section 4
This section presents a rich collection of early professional architectural journals, historical photographs, and contemporary architectural photography.
From the Sassoon House built by Palmer & Turner Architects and Surverors – known internationally as the Palmer & Turner Group – and the Grand Theatre designed by László Hudec, to local masterpieces such as the Metropol Cinema by The Allied Architects and the Bank of China building by Lu Qianshou, Shanghai's skyline reflects the full evolution of Art Deco architecture.
A 1934 photo of the newly constructed Park Hotel
Photos and architectural drawings of the Paramount, published in "The Chinese Architect" (中国建筑) magazine in 1934. Designed by Yang Xiliu, the venue was completed in 1932.
Section 5
This final section immerses visitors in the world of Art Deco as it was lived – through fashion, home décor and lifestyle objects. From the glamorous women on calendar posters to qipao (a kind of traditional Chinese one-piece dress), modern furniture, and household goods, the display reflects how Deco aesthetics became part of everyday life in Shanghai.
Art Deco-style silk printed qipao with blue geometric patterns, collection of the Museum of Shanghai University (Haipai Culture Museum). Worn by Madam Peng Juying, a native of Jiangsu and granddaughter-in-law of Sheng Xuanhuai, a senior official of the Qing Dynasty's Westernization Movement. In the early 1960s, she moved to Japan, where she supported her husband Sheng Yudu's business ventures.
"Modern Home Decoration" (现代家庭装饰), edited by Shi Yan, was published by Dadong Publishing House in April 1933. The book features numerous home interior designs in the Art Deco style.