When the first stop on last winter’s tour of 265 never-before seen in Asia Picassos was announced as being not Beijing or Shanghai but Shenzhen, some in China’s art scene expressed mild indignation.
Though the rolling Picasso exhibit did eventually make its way to the cities considered more art savvy, the fact that their first public viewing in China was at Shenzhen’s He Xiangning Museum announced loud and clear – to the dismay of some, and delight of others – that Shenzhen had designs to be seen not merely as a city of high finance, but as one of art and culture as well.
Eight months after the Picassos left Shenzhen, I head back to the city on an early morning ferry from Hong Kong to the burgeoning art scene of China’s richest and youngest city. I am looking to answer a burning question that may change the face of Chinese art: “Is Shenzhen vying for the title of coolest art city in China?”
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