Muxin Art Museum, Wuzhen – Ticket, Opening Hours, Location, and Highlights

The Muxin Art Museum (木心美术馆）, nestled in Muxin’s hometown of Wuzhen, covers a total area of 6,700 square meters, dedicated to commemorating and showcasing the lifelong dedication and aesthetic legacy of the painter and writer Muxin (1927-2011). Oriented north to south, the museum boasts a sleek, modern, minimalist design, gracefully spanning the surface of Wuzhen’s Yuanbao Lake, creating a serene and elegant vista that harmonizes with its watery reflection, becoming a tranquil and graceful focal point in Wuzhen’s West Scenic Area. The museum’s exterior design resonates with Muxin’s preferred aesthetic of simplicity, as he once encapsulated his vision with the phrase “Wind, water, a bridge.”

Internally, the museum is divided into several main sections. Firstly, the museum offers a retrospective of Muxin’s life, showcasing his journey through photographs, artifacts, and audiovisual materials. Secondly, there’s an exhibition of his artworks, predominantly featuring paintings from Muxin’s middle to later years, including sketches and calligraphy. Lastly, there’s a literary exhibition, displaying Muxin’s “Manuscripts from Prison” alongside his published novels, essays, and prose. The museum also houses five permanent galleries dedicated to displaying Muxin’s works, including the Painting Gallery, Literary Gallery, Manuscripts from Prison Gallery, and Image Hall. Additionally, two special exhibition halls regularly feature annual exhibitions dedicated to influential artists who impacted Muxin’s life and work.

The creation of the Muxin Art Museum is itself a legendary tale. In the year preceding Muxin’s passing, accompanied by Chen Xianghong, a resident of Wuzhen, the location for the museum was chosen, and Chen Danqing was appointed as its director. During his final days, while bedridden, Muxin glimpsed the museum’s design plans in a state of delirium, murmuring, “Wind, water, a bridge.” Designed and overseen by disciples of Ieoh Ming Pei, the renowned architect, namely Hiroshi Oki and Lin Bing of the New York-based OLI Architecture, the museum’s construction was funded by Culture Wuzhen Co., Ltd. and executed by the Jujiang Construction Group, spanning a four-year period. The interior design and exhibition layout, helmed by designer Fabian of OLI, took a year and a half to complete.

Furthermore, at the northern end of the museum, there’s a tiered library where visitors can sit and enjoy the scenery of the museum’s backyard from wooden steps while perusing books such as Muxin’s “Literary Memoirs.” Adjacent to the special exhibition hall on the basement level, there’s a café offering various specialty coffees, as well as Western-style pastries and light meals, providing a cozy space for visitors to relax and reflect amidst the artistic ambiance of the museum.

Basic Information

Location and Transportation

The Muxin Art Museum is located at No. 1508 West Street, West Scenic Area, Wuzhen, Tongxiang City, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, China. To get there, you can take bus Tongxiang K337, get off at Xizha Scenic Area Stop (西栅景区站), and walk about 300 meters to the west.