In photos: tour a historic villa restored by Prada
Photos by Yang Xiaozhe
Rong Zhai in Jingan has been restored to its former glory by Prada, and you're now able to tour its historical halls during its ROMA 1950-1965 exhibition. The mansion, built in 1918, belonged to Chinese tycoon Rong Zongjing – one of China's biggest industrialists of the 20th century.
The restoration effort of Rong Zhai involved a team of Italian and Chinese craftsmen and today, the three-storey mansion is where Prada, history and art meet. After a six-year-long restoration of the interior, exterior and structure of the mansion, Rong Zhai opened its doors last October 17. Now, you can have a tour of it yourself.
To book tickets for the exhibition, extract the QR in the image below and scroll down the page.
Prada Rong Zhai is currently exhibiting ROMA 1950-1965, post World War II contemporary art curated by Germano Celant. The exhibition is focused on works that were inspired by the need for an artistic expression after the devastation of war. It tells the story of how the art scene in Italy built itself from artist Mario Ballocco in 1950 and eventually formed a community of artists, intellectuals, directors, scriptwriters, producers and more.
The exhibition is part of Prada’s cultural initiatives introduced in autumn 2017, which included a feature of the Prada Resort 2018 collection. It continues to be part of Prada’s dedication to an ongoing Asian-European dialogue. Check out our photos of the exhibition and building below.
Prada Rong Zhai 186 Shaanxi Bei Lu, near Nanjing Dong Lu. Until May 27. 10am-5pm (Sun and Tue-Thu); 10am-8pm (Fri-Sat). 45RMB. Book tickets by extracting the QR above.