Savannah's International Business News Source
Portman 'Art and Architecture' Exhibition Opens in China
Trevor Williams
Atlanta - 07.29.10
Charrod Walker
Scaled models of the Tomorrow Square complex in Shanghai (left) and the Beijing Yintai Center show High Museum visitors a sampling of Mr. Portman's architectural work in two of China's most influential cities.

Many Atlantans stand in the atria of the Hyatt Regency or the Marriott Marquis and walk the AmericasMart's sky bridges unaware of the man whose vision brought these structures to life.

Last year, the High Museum of Art sought to change that. From October to April, its "John Portman: Art and Architecture" exhibition honored the architect, developer and artist who has left an indelible imprint on the Atlanta skyline.

Now the same exhibition is introducing Chinese citizens to Mr. Portman, whose works in China continue to mirror and aid the country's economic rise.

On July 20, the exhibition began a two-month run in Shanghai, where John Portman and Associates launched its first Chinese development in 1980. The Shanghai Centre, a massive mixed-used complex with a central tower standing 35 stories high, became one of the first successful foreign developments in China's newly opened economy.

Since then, Portman has completed other landmark buildings in the country. The Tomorrow Square skyscraper is one of the most recognizable towers in Shanghai's crowded skyline, and the Beijing Yintai Center, a three-tower mixed-use development, includes the tallest building in the Chinese capital.

The exhibition, hosted at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, features Mr. Portman's U.S. works as well as nine past and present projects in Asia, including a scaled model of a 151-story tower the company is building in Incheon, South Korea.

In China, Portman is currently restoring a historic Shanghai neighborhood called Jian Ye Li. The company has also designed a 55-story finance center in the city of Hangzhou and has other projects in Shanghai and Wenzhou.

The exhibition also includes paintings and sculptures by Mr. Portman.

After it ends in Shanghai Sept. 19, the High Museum plans to take the exhibition first to Beijing and then other cities in Asia.

Visit www.high.org.


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