Dafen Art Museum大芬美术馆
A white box in the middle of the village, showing what the copy-painters make for themselves.
Urbanus-designed museum in the middle of Dafen's oil-painting village, free entry
Dafen Art Museum stands in the centre of Dafen Oil Painting Village in Buji, Longgang, the former farming village that from 1989 grew into the world's best-known producer of hand-painted copies. The museum opened in 2007, designed by the Shenzhen firm Urbanus as a hybrid: gallery halls stacked with spaces for local studios and dealers, built partly to shift Dafen's reputation from copying towards original work.
After a renovation led by the Longgang government with China Resources as operator, it reopened in February 2023 with better climate control, lighting and circulation. The relaunch brought a Giorgio Morandi exhibition of 46 original works, billed as the first major Morandi show in South China, and it has since run a steady programme of oil painting, mixed media and local themes.
Go for the combination: an hour in the museum, then the lanes outside, where hundreds of galleries and studios sell everything from Van Gogh copies to contemporary canvases and paint to order.
What to see and do
The building
Urbanus's 2007 design, reworked in 2023, mixes exhibition halls with studio and retail space and opens onto a plaza with water features.
Rotating exhibitions
Shows change every few months; mid-2025 had local-scene oil paintings on the first floor and mixed-media and contemporary shows on the second.
Dafen village around it
Roughly a thousand galleries and shops in converted village buildings, with murals and outdoor works along the lanes.
Try painting
Several village studios run short walk-in oil painting sessions where you take your canvas home.
Visiting
- Hours
- Tue-Sun 9:30-17:30, last entry 17:00; closed Mondays except public holidays (2025)
- Tickets
- Free; special exhibitions may differ (2025)
- Booking
- Not needed for regular exhibitions (2025)
- Getting there
- Metro Line 3, Dafen station, exit A1, then about 500 m on foot into the village
- Time needed
- About 1 hour for the museum; half a day with the village
- Allow time for the lanes outside: the museum takes about an hour, the village's galleries and studios can easily fill an afternoon.
- Bargain in the village shops; prices for copies vary widely between studios.
- If a painting is coming home with you, ask for it to be rolled and tubed rather than framed.
- The museum closes on Mondays (except public holidays), so plan a weekday visit for Tuesday to Friday.
FAQ
Is Dafen Art Museum free?
Yes, entry is free with no booking for regular exhibitions (2025). Special exhibitions may differ.
How do I get to Dafen Oil Painting Village?
Take Metro Line 3 to Dafen station and use exit A1; the village and museum are about 500 m away on foot.
What are Dafen Art Museum's opening hours?
Tuesday to Sunday 9:30-17:30, last entry 17:00, closed Mondays except public holidays.
Why is Dafen famous?
From 1989 it grew into a hub of hand-painted reproductions for export; the museum and the 2023 village renewal promote original art alongside the copy trade.
Sources: Shenzhen Bendibao: Dafen Art Museum Dragon Boat Festival 2025 notice and exhibitions · Shenzhen News: Dafen Art Museum reopens after renovation (Feb 2023) · Sing Tao Headline: Dafen Oil Painting Village guide with museum hours and metro (2023+) · Wikipedia: Dafen Art Museum (background) · Urbanus: Dafen Art Museum project page (2007, 2023) · checked 2026-10-04
Good to know
- Entry
- Free