Shunde’s He Art Museum pivots from carrying on family legacy to amplifying local voices

New projects at the He Art Museum, opened by the owners of Chinese appliance giant Midea, explore complex realities born of societal shifts

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The He Art Museum in Shunde, in China’s Guangdong province, is housed in a building designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Opened in 2020 by the family behind home appliance giant Midea Group, the museum is now pivoting from “carrying on the family’s legacy” to creating socially relevant programmes featuring local voices. Photo: HEM

Published: 3:15pm, 21 Apr 2026Updated: 6:33pm, 24 Apr 2026

Ahead of Art Basel and the slew of buzzy satellite events that made up Hong Kong art week in March, many international art enthusiasts headed to the He Art Museum in Shunde, over the border in mainland China’s Guangdong province.

The private museum was opened in 2020 by the He family, who own Midea Group, the world’s biggest home appliance maker. Housed inside an elegant building designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando that resembles a stack of discs, the museum has become a regular stop for visitors to the area.

Despite a wave of high-profile museums planned for the nearby economic powerhouse of Shenzhen in the coming years, the He Art Museum (HEM) looks set to remain a force in the Greater Bay Area’s art scene.

But the museum’s journey has not been straightforward, says its executive director Shao Shu, who has been with the institution from the start.

HEM executive director Shao Shu has been with the museum since the beginning. Photo: HEM

HEM is the brainchild of He Jianfeng, the eldest son of Midea Group’s founder. It initially followed the typical playbook for Chinese private museums backed by great wealth: it hosted exhibitions by celebrated international names – including a Roni Horn retrospective in 2023 – to put itself on the contemporary art map.

Shunde’s He Art Museum pivots from carrying on family legacy to amplifying local voices

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}New projects at the He Art Museum, opened by the owners of Chinese appliance giant Midea, explore complex realities born of societal shifts

New projects at the He Art Museum, opened by the owners of Chinese appliance giant Midea, explore complex realities born of societal shifts