An ad at New York City's Times Square promotes the Shanghai International Artwork Trade Week.

Shanghai's cultural credentials are state of the art this month, with the 4th Shanghai International Artwork Trade Week serving as an umbrella for a spectacular outpouring of fine arts.

The week, which ends on Monday, is aimed at showcasing the city's global stature in the art world. It has attracted artists and exhibitions from around the world, encompassing 110 art events, including five fairs, 37 auctions and 50 gallery shows.

The 9th West Bund Art & Design Fair is being staged at the West Bund Art Center, with participants from over 100 art galleries in 43 cities of 19 countries. It is one of the largest expositions of its kind in Asia, and certainly one of the most influential.

The 9th West Bund Art & Design Fair staged at the West Bund Art Center is one of the largest expositions of its kind in Asia, and certainly one of the most influential.

Immediately after quarantine, art collector Timothy Taylor from the United Kingdom rushed to the art venue, according to a Wenhui Daily report.

Participating in the event for the fifth time, he said he is delighted by the city's vigor in fine arts.

Among the art pieces Taylor will be exhibiting are premium works from British figurative painter Leon Kossoff (1926-2019).

Representatives from New York's Lehmann Maupin Gallery said the art fair is an excellent platform for introducing foreign artists to a whole new sphere. This year, the gallery will stage the Chinese premiere of works by Nicholas Hlobo.

One of South Africa's leading artists, Hlobo creates large sculptural structures and works on paper that explore ethnicity, masculinity and sexual identity.

And don't miss the ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair, which turns 10 this year. Staged at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, it is offering nearly 10,000 contemporary artworks from 134 art galleries in 36 cities and 19 countries.

"A lot of friends from New York have been texting me after seeing the news about the event displayed on the big screen at Times Square," Zhou Dawei, a founder of ART021, told Wenhui Daily.

He said the art world, still reeling from the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, has every reason to be excited by what's happening in Shanghai.

"Culture and art have always been part and parcel of a city's 'soft power,' and heavyweight art fairs like this will go a long way toward projecting Shanghai's global influence," Zhou added.

What was formerly the International Artwork Trade Month has been scaled back to one week this year, but organizers said they are confident that the shorter time frame won't detract from the event's appeal.

Exhibition info:

· West Bund Art & Design

Date: November 10-13

Venue: West Bund Art Center

Address: 2555 Longteng Ave

· ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair

Date: November 10-13

Venue: Shanghai Exhibition Center

Address: 1000 Yan'an Road M.