Started in 2011, The Villa Rong Zhai's six year renovation program was carried out by the Prada Foundation which has obtained management of the project for ten years. The house has been open to visitors since November 2017. It is now dedicated to the exhibition of contemporary art such as Pole Goshka Macuga, the Chinese Liu Ye, the American painter Richard Artschwager or the Swiss Peter Fischli and David Weiss last spring.
Andrea Goffo, Director of Communication at the Prada Foundation explains: "Prada has always supported the artistic fields, but the preservation of architectural sites is also important to us. It is therefore natural to have carried out the renovation of the villa Rong Zhai with the idea of helping the development of contemporary art and undertaking a meticulous restoration of the place. We also wanted, through this house, to show our commitment to the dialogue between Chinese and European cultures."

To restore The Villa Rong Zhai, Prada called on the same experts and techniques as to renovate The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan or The Palazzo Corner della Regina in Venice. The Italian architect Roberto Baciocchi has been appointed as the site manager. Chinese experts were also involved in the work. Six years were necessary to restore the floors, stained glass windows, woodwork, mosaics, fireplaces…

While Prada organized a fashion show there in 2018, the villa will now be exclusively dedicated to contemporary art, "The space will voluntarily remain practically empty of furniture to allow us to organize exhibitions, presentations and various cultural activities," explain Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, Prada Group's CEO. "What is most important to us is what Shanghai can bring to the Prada Rong Zhai house in order to permanently integrate it into the city's very rich cultural life."

Visit The Villa Rong Zhai

General Info
No. 186 North Shaan Xi Road, Jing'an district, Shanghai.
Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm;
Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm.
+86 021 2218 0200.
Admission 60 CNY (8 euros).