Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning 当代艺术与城市规划馆

About Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning

Because of that pairing, Shenzhen residents usually call the place simply the two museums. The Museum of Contemporary Art shows contemporary art drawn from around the world, while the Shenzhen Museum of Urban Planning is the platform on which the city presents its own planning. The two halves share one envelope, so a visit can take in a changing art programme and an account of how the city was laid out within the same walls.

The building itself is one of the reasons people come. It was designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au, described by Shenzhen Special Zone Daily as a leading deconstructivist practice, working from the idea of a translucent boulder set down in the city; the result is an angular, faceted exterior wrapped around generous interior exhibition volumes. It stands next to Shenzhen Central Book City on the city's central axis, in the line of landmarks that also includes the Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Shenzhen Library, the Concert Hall, the Civic Center, the Convention and Exhibition Centre and the Stock Exchange headquarters, a sequence best read from the slopes of Lianhuashan Park.

What to look for

• The faceted, crystalline exterior by Coop Himmelb(l)au, conceived as a translucent urban boulder
• The contemporary art galleries, which show work from around the world
• The Shenzhen Museum of Urban Planning half of the building, devoted to how the city has been planned
• The view along Shenzhen's central axis from Lianhuashan Park, in which this building sits between the Guan Shanyue Art Museum and the Civic Center
• The adjoining Shenzhen Central Book City, immediately beside the museum on the same axis

Location & getting there

Getting to Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning

Confirm the venue or campus, reservation channel and exhibition calendar. A museum name may cover more than one building.

• Search for 当代艺术与城市规划馆 with 深圳市 and 福田区.