A luxury shopping mall in Nanjing, China, is redefining the museum experience, staying open until midnight and hosting a critically acclaimed exhibition exploring the enduring appeal of floral still lifes.
A Blooming Revelation in Nanjing
Late last year, the buzz in Shanghai centered on West Bund Art & Design, the mainland’s premier art fair. Alongside robust sales-Perrotin reported 40 percent of its high-end booth sold out on opening day-the fair showcased a wealth of sophisticated art, particularly in its curated xiàn chǎng section, mirroring the Untitled section at Art Basel in Switzerland. But before the fair, attention shifted to an equally extraordinary venue: the Deji plaza luxury shopping mall in Nanjing, home to the Deji Art Museum.
Deji Plaza proved to be a revelation on multiple levels.The mall itself generated $3.5 billion in sales in 2025, potentially making it the highest-grossing mall globally, according to the Economist. The museum, perched atop the mall, distinguished itself by remaining open until midnight, a practice more museums should adopt given its consistent popularity. Its standout exhibition,”Nothing Still About Still Lifes,” which reopened in October,demonstrates the surprising depth and nuance possible within a single artistic subject: flowers.
masters of the Floral Form
The exhibition features a remarkable roster of artists, including Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste renoir, Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Edvard Munch, henri Rousseau, Andy Warhol, Yayoi Kusama, Keep reading
