In 2012, Larys Frogier took over the direction of the Rockbund Art Museum (RAM) in Shanghai, a private non-profit organization dedicated to the international contemporary arts.
At the head of the museum from 2012 to 2022, Larys Frogier opened the institution to sustainable art and research projects, highly regarded exhibition programs, substantial support to artists for artworks production, long term cooperation plan with international art organizations, and solidary collaborations with researchers and art practitioners in different regions of the world.

With a unique vision, robust guidelines and innovative programs, Larys Frogier lead the Rockbund Art Museum to an unparalleled professionalism and legitimation on the global art scene. RAM was generously engaged into collective learning processes, aiming to build up more subtle and critical representations of the "inter/national", sharing art histories and local cultures made of unexpected combinations. Rockbund Art Museum became an organic and living entity with evolving extensions for generating, sharing and promoting the circulation of ideas and considering audience, not only as visitors, but as full contributors.

Under Larys Frogier leadership, the Rockbund Art Musum offered substantial support to artists, curators, philosophers, poets, anthropologists, sociologists, scientists for freely engaging with audiences to meet, debate, exchange and contribute to the development of the arts and humanities. Instead of displaying objects and absorbing concepts, RAM played a major role for nurturing share knowledges and addressing important social topics of our times.

Following the 2010 high end renovation of the original 1932 Art Deco buiding of RAM by the worldly acclaimed architect David Chipperfield, Larys Frogier took the lead of RAM second phase renovation (2019-2022) by conceiving with the German architect Alexis Dornier a Museum based on An Oceanic Vision of Art, where curves, interconnections, undulations, horizons, vibrations, could enhance the experience of the visitor in a more intimate dialogue with the architecture, the exhibitions and other people.

From 2013 to 2019, Larys Frogier conceived the HUGO BOSS ASIA award and chaired its jury for a biennale prize dedicated to emerging artists in Asia.
Larys Frogier also implemented and chaired the ASIA expertise committee for Asia for the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo international Residency Program for Emerging Curators.

The Rockbund Art Museum initiated monographic projects with internationally renowned contemporary artists such as Francis Alÿs, John Armleder, Mark Bradford, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Barthi Kher, Lee Kit, Philippe Parreno, Paola Pivi, Tobias Rehberger, Ugo Rondinone, Trinh T. Minh-ha... Coming to group shows, RAM curated exhibition projects for adressing societal issues and re-making art histories of the 20th and 21st century, far from a western centered perspective, a polarized East-West vision, or any form of nationalist conservatism.

The facades of the Rockbund Art Museum, evolving with artists projects. From left to right:
. Cai Quo Qiang, Peasant Da Vincis, 2010.
. Michael Lin, Model Home, 2012.
. Bharti Kher, Misdemeanours, 2014.
. Ugo Rondinone, Breathe, Walk, Die, 2015.
. Heman Chong, Ifs, Ands, or Buts, 2016.
. Song Dong, I Don't Know the Mandate of Heaven, 2017.
. Hugo Boss Asia Art : Hao Jingban, Hsu Che-Yu, Eisa Jocson,Thảo-Nguyên Phan, 2019
Courtesy Rockbund Art Museum

Installation view of Danh Võ, We the People, a conceptual art project involving a 1:1 scale replica of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s Statue of Liberty.
Conceived in 2010 and fabricated in Shanghai using traditional repoussé techniques, the sculpture was constructed from 30 tons of copper sheets just 2.4 millimeters thick.
Rather than assembling the monument, Võ kept it in 250 to 300 separate fragments, which are exhibited simultaneously at various international venues. This fragmentation deconstructs the icon’s homogeneity, reflecting themes of migration, identity, and the fluidity of cultural symbols from the perspective of a Vietnamese-Danish artist.

The installation scattered in the Rockbund Art Museum is part of the group show From Gesture to Language, 2013, curaed by Larys Frogier and Pascal Torres Guardiola including the works of the following artists: Xu Bing, Louise Bourgeois, Danh Võ, Jenny Holzer, Yang Jiechang, Yan Pei Ming, Li Ming, François Morellet, Robert Morris, Bruce Nauman, Yan Pei-Ming, Giuseppe Penone, Lu Qing, Li Qing, Kiki Smith, Li Yan, Zhao Xuebing.

Courtesy Rockbund Art Museum

Behind the Scenes of Rockbund Art Museum's Architectural Renovation

A short history of the Rockbund Art Museum architecture