On a recent stroll through the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, I was struck by a photograph of two men napping on the paint-spattered floor beneath a collection of Van Gogh paintings. These men, it turns out, are two of over 5,000 local artists employed by the Da Fen Oil Painting Village in Shenzhen, China, who mass produce original paintings and reproductions of famous artworks.
The complex, which is about a 20 minute taxi ride from the brand new Westin Shenzhen Nanshan, includes over 600 galleries. Rife with the scent of drying canvases, this miniature city overflows with a staggering amount of paintings. They hang from the walls and lie in neat stacks of colorful landscapes and impressively rendered still lifes, luring the visitor through a series of open air corridors and storefronts. In one studio, an artist paints the finishing touches on a bouquet of yellow sunflowers, while in a framing shop downstairs, a dozen Mona Lisas await their faux gilt frames. A unique cultural wonder that combines the essence of fine art with the reality of thousands of China's art school graduates trying to make a living, Da Fen Oil Painting Village is an intriguing place to visit, not only for those looking to expand their knock-off art collection, but for those interested in observing one of China's most fascinating enclaves.
Have you ever visited Da Fen Oil Painting Village? What did you see?
