It was only a matter of time before I started a whole new category over there on the right hand side – shopping.
Let’s face it – if I can’t come up with a shopping section when I live slap bang in the middle of Planet Earth’s Fake Goods & Manufacturing HQ what sort of tai tai/trailingspouse/expatwife/loser would I be?
If you ever come through Shanghai you will thank me – all this research is for you.
Painter Street – pretty self explanatory I think. Let’s take a walk.
There is something for everyone from classic Chinese water colour scenes to Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and the Mona Lisa, replica Tin Tin posters and pop art. There’s lots of oil paintings of the Bund back in the day along with contemporary Chinese artists such as Yue Minjun whose grinning man you may recognise.
If you’re lucky you will see the artists themselves at work.
You can even take along a photo of your nearest and dearest and get it turned into a portrait. Even better than that – you can take along a photo which can then be painted onto any background you want and you can basically commission and design your own custom made portrait.
One of these caught my eye and I have to admit I have it hanging up in the apartment.
What you need to know:
- Allow a week for a painting to be
copiedready - We struggled to haggle over a made to order painting – you may get 200RMB off
- There are plenty of places to get pictures framed but I haven’t tried them yet. The frames around the pictures above were only 200RMB and they are large paintings – 140cmx90cm at least
- All the galleries seem to have other rooms close by and it’s worth going with them to see what else is available
- Walk through to the end of the street and go up the stairs – there are a load of artists there in their rooms painting away and they are mostly friendly
- You only need an hour or so here to wander around – there are about 20 shops along the street and then the same upstairs
- The large painted canvases were all priced around the 1300RMB but I’m pretty sure you could get them for less
Which one did I order?
This one:
I love it. It’s hanging in the living room and I see it every time I walk in. It makes me smile.
I have no idea why she’s holding a knife – the one in the shop had been changed to her holding a stick so I asked the artist to change it back. My vegetarian friend Liz who was with me preferred the stick version!
I had intended to put it over the bed but I’m pretty sure it’s not very Feng Shui to have a pig and knife hanging over your head whilst you’re in the land of nod!!
Anything is possible down Painter Street – you are limited only by your wallet and your imagination.
Where: 212 Wending Lu, near Nandan Lu, Xujiahui