The new Guangzhou Museum of Art is open to the public

The Guangzhou Museum of Art’s new home officially opened its doors to the public yesterday. 

Enthusiasm for the public inauguration of the museum’s new building was high, with 8,873 visitors recorded on its first day, according to a report by local media. 

With an area of 30,000 square metres, the new building features a dome made up of 21,008 pieces of photovoltaic glass that are joined together to resemble petals. The design of the structure was a collaborative effort between the German firm, Thomas Herzog Architekten, and two Chinese institutions. 

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There are seven floors in the museum, housing over 33,000 artworks in six exhibition areas.

“The characteristic of our museum is that there are many traditional Chinese paintings,” the museum’s president, Luo Qi said to local media during the opening ceremony on 28 November. “The museum will present its best collection to the audience.” 

Considered to be one of China’s premier art museums, the old Guangzhou Museum of Art first opened in 1997. Its newly minted location is situated at in the Zhuhai District on Yiyuan Road, with opening hours from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily except Mondays, when it is closed. 

—With reporting by Kenny Fong