Red Brick Art Museum

What Red Brick Art Museum does

Red Brick Art Museum (红砖美术馆) is a privately-held, non-profit contemporary art museum located in Beijing's No.1 International Art District in Chaoyang District. Founded by collectors Yan Shijie (Director) and Cao Mei (Executive Director) with construction beginning in 2007 and a public opening on May 23, 2014, the museum occupies approximately 20,000 square meters of total area, including nearly 10,000 square meters of exhibition space across 9 galleries. Designed by architect Dong Yugan of Peking University's Architectural Research Center, the facility uses red bricks as its fundamental building material and integrates traditional Chinese garden aesthetics with contemporary architecture, pioneering the 'Ecological Experience Museum' concept.

The museum operates as a multi-revenue cultural destination. Core programming centers on rotating exhibitions of international and Chinese contemporary artists, anchored by a permanent collection that includes Anselm Kiefer's 'Arsenal' and multiple works by Olafur Eliasson. Revenue is generated through admission fees, annual membership subscriptions, an on-site design store selling artist-inspired merchandise, a 150-sqm cafe and 300-sqm Mediterranean restaurant (Red Brick Yard / 红砖院子), and venue rental for corporate events and weddings. Additional offerings include guided tours, group reservations, an archive center, and bilingual publications.

Red Brick has positioned itself as a primary venue for Sino-French cultural exchange, anchoring the Festival Croisements (since 2019) and hosting the 17th edition's opening with French President Emmanuel Macron in April 2023. It has also partnered with the German Embassy (Germany 8 project, 2017), ADIAF (Marcel Duchamp Prize since 2016), Jeu de Paume, and the City of Paris Museum of Modern Art. The founders personally invested approximately 400 million RMB in construction, and the museum operates with an extremely lean team of 6 employees, relying on a distributed operating model.

Name

Red Brick Art Museum

Legal name

Red Brick Art Museum

Website

https://redbrickartmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Red Brick Art Museum is a privately-held contemporary art museum in Beijing's Chaoyang District, founded in 2014 by collectors Yan Shijie and Cao Mei. It serves art enthusiasts, corporate event clients, and cultural tourists through rotating international exhibitions, a permanent collection, memberships, retail, dining, and venue rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Museum / Cultural Institution

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (71211), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Art Dealers (45992)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Contemporary art museum
• Cultural exchange events
• Museum venue rental
• Art membership programs
• Exhibition design store

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: The museum generates revenue through direct admission fees for visitors to exhibitions and the museum grounds.
2. Membership Programs: The museum offers membership plans that provide benefits including free admission, exclusive events, and other perks for annual subscribers.
3. Design Store: The museum operates a design store selling art-inspired merchandise including clothing, bags, pins, magnets, and limited edition items featuring artist designs such as Sarah Lucas, Izumi Kato, and Olafur Eliasson works.
4. Cafe and Restaurant: The Red Brick Yard Cafe (150 sqm, 60-80 capacity) serves coffee, alcoholic beverages, and European cuisine. The Red Brick Yard Restaurant (300 sqm, 100+ guests) offers Mediterranean cuisine. Both venues provide dining experiences within the museum's courtyard setting.
5. Venue Rental: The museum offers venue rental services for events, corporate functions, and weddings in its distinctive spaces including gardens and lakeside areas.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Red Brick Art Museum is a privately-held contemporary art museum in Beijing that curates and presents rotating international and Chinese exhibitions across nine exhibition spaces, anchored by a permanent collection featuring Anselm Kiefer's "Arsenal" and several Olafur Eliasson works. It supplements its exhibition programming with annual memberships, guided tours, group reservations, bilingual publications, an Archive Center, an on-site Design Store, café and Mediterranean restaurant dining, and venue rental for corporate events and weddings. The facility spans roughly 20,000 square meters, designed in distinctive red-brick architecture by Professor Dong Yugan, integrating a 22-mu traditional Chinese garden.

Product overview

Red Brick Art Museum is a contemporary art museum offering a unified portfolio of cultural experiences centered around rotating international and Chinese contemporary art exhibitions. The museum provides multiple visitor engagement services including membership programs, guided tours, and group reservations as core offerings, complemented by publications, an archive center, a design store, and cafe/restaurant facilities. The venue also offers spaces for private event rentals, creating an integrated cultural destination combining art appreciation with hospitality services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibitions and Events Rotating exhibitions featuring contemporary international and Chinese artists, including solo shows, group exhibitions, and permanent installations such as Anselm Kiefer's "Arsenal" and multiple Olafur Eliasson works. Open to museum visitors, members, and group bookings.
• Annual Membership Plans Tiered annual membership programs providing benefits such as free admission, exclusive events, discounts at the design store and café, and special exhibition access, available to individual art patrons and repeat visitors.
• Guided Tours Professional guided tour services for individual and group visitors to enhance the exhibition viewing experience and provide curatorial context.
• Group Visit Reservations Organized visit arrangements for schools, companies, and other groups with customized touring experiences, available by reservation through the museum's visitor services team.
• Exhibition Publications Exhibition catalogues, artist books, and scholarly publications documenting the museum's exhibitions and collections, published in Chinese and English for sale through the museum and Design Store.
• Archive Center (文献中心) Research facility collecting and preserving art archives, books, and documents received from artists, museums, and galleries, with public and researcher access.
• Design Store Retail On-site retail shop selling artist-inspired merchandise including clothing, accessories, art books, and limited edition items from featured artists such as Sarah Lucas, Izumi Kato, and Olafur Eliasson, available to museum visitors and walk-in customers.
• Red Brick Yard Café and Mediterranean Restaurant Food and beverage services within the museum complex — Red Brick Yard Café (150 sqm, 60–80 capacity) serves coffee, alcoholic beverages, and European cuisine, while Red Brick Yard Restaurant (300 sqm, 100+ guests) offers Mediterranean cuisine near the museum's lake, available to visitors and walk-in customers.
• Venue Rental for Private Events Rental of museum spaces including the red-brick halls, garden areas, and lakeside settings for corporate functions, product launches, weddings, and other private events, contracted directly with the museum's events team.

Quantifiable outcome

• The museum hosted the opening ceremony of the 17th Festival Croisements with French President Emmanuel Macron in attendance
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• City of Paris Museum of Modern ArtmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnered to present exhibition 'Video at Large - Intimacy' in 2022.
• Jeu de Paume (French National Gallery)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborated with Jeu de Paume to present exhibition 'Le Supermarché des Images' (The Image Supermarket) in 2021.
• French Embassy in ChinacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019The museum has partnered with the French Embassy since 2019 to host the Festival Croisements (Sino-French Cultural Spring) opening ceremony and related exhibitions. This partnership has included hosting the 17th edition in 2023 with President Macron attending. The museum has also been showcasing the French Marcel Duchamp Prize since 2016.
• Timezone 8minorOthers · 1 January 2019Received book and archive donations from Timezone 8, along with other artists and art institutions, for the Archive Center.
• Volkswagen Group ChinaminorOthers · 1 January 2018Major sponsor for the 'Andreas Mühe: Photography' exhibition in 2018, supporting the museum's German cultural programming.
• Beijing Modern Dance CompanymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Collaborated with Beijing Modern Dance Company during the Olafur Eliasson exhibition to create cross-disciplinary dance project 'Form, Shadow, Unceasing', becoming a major cultural event in China.
• German Embassy / Germany 8 ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Participated in 'Germany 8: German Art in China' as a key framework project celebrating 45 years of China-Germany diplomatic relations, presenting 'Prologue - German Informel Art' exhibition.
• ADIAF (Association pour le Diffusion International de l'Art Français)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership to introduce the prestigious French Marcel Duchamp Prize to Chinese audiences since 2016, including exhibitions 'Haute Tension' (2017) and ongoing programming.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Centre Pompidou: Centre Pompidou is a major European modern and contemporary art institution. Comparable through its international exhibition partnerships and cultural diplomacy programs that align with Red Brick's programming model.
• Tate Modern: Tate Modern is a globally renowned contemporary art museum in London. Comparable in mission and exhibition profile but vastly larger in scale and operating budget; serves as a benchmark for programming prestige rather than a direct competitor in Beijing.

Direct peers

• Long Museum: Long Museum (West Bund and Pudong) is a major private contemporary art museum in Shanghai founded by collectors Liu Yiqian and Wang Wei. Comparable in founder-led governance model, large-scale facility, and permanent collection of international artists.
• HOW Art Museum: HOW Art Museum is a private contemporary art institution in Shanghai with multiple branches. Comparable as a private contemporary art museum competing for international exhibitions and visitor traffic in China.
• UCCA Center for Contemporary Art: UCCA is a leading contemporary art museum in Beijing's 798 Art District, founded in 2007. It directly competes with Red Brick for international exhibitions, contemporary art audiences, corporate event rentals, and brand-driven cultural programming in the same city.
• Yuz Museum: Yuz Museum is a contemporary art museum in Shanghai founded by collector Budi Tek. Comparable as a privately-funded, single-site contemporary art museum with significant permanent collection and international programming.
• Today Art Museum: Today Art Museum is a Beijing-based contemporary art museum located near the CBD. It competes for the same Beijing contemporary art audience and corporate event business, with a comparable private foundation governance structure.
• Power Station of Art: Power Station of Art is China's first state-funded contemporary art museum, located in Shanghai. Comparable in scale and focus on international contemporary exhibitions, though it operates as a public institution versus Red Brick's private model.
• M WOODS Museum: M WOODS is a Beijing-based private contemporary art museum with permanent collections of international artists. It competes directly with Red Brick for visiting patrons, sponsors, and exhibition programming in the same city.
• Tank Shanghai: Tank Shanghai is a contemporary art space in Shanghai's West Bund area converted from industrial fuel tanks. Comparable as a privately-operated contemporary art venue with distinctive architecture and rotating exhibitions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Red-Brick-Art-Museum
• Instagraminstagram.com/redbrickartmuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/red-brick-art-museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Red Brick Art Museum