The Art Institute of Shanghai University was established in the golden autumn of 2004. It is a second-level college of Shanghai University. It is located on the bank of Panchi Lake on the Baoshan Campus of Shanghai University. It is a bright pearl inlaid on the bank of Panchi Lake.

The Institute of Art has the only doctoral degree awarding point in fine arts in Shanghai. It is a key construction of a group of influential fine arts discipline teams introduced by Shanghai University to strengthen the construction of fine arts disciplines based on the School of Fine Arts of Shanghai University.

High-level teaching and a high-level research institute focusing on scientific research.

Shanghai University Art Institute currently has 8 professors, 10 part-time professors, and 2 associate professors, including 14 teachers with doctorate degrees, 7 doctoral supervisors, and 14 master's degree supervisors.

These professors include leaders from art schools in charge of discipline construction, as well as experts who are reviewed by the National Social Science Fund. Most of them have presided over national, provincial and ministerial level scientific research projects, and have won provincial and ministerial level outstanding achievement awards in philosophy and social sciences.

They have outstanding research results and strong influence in the field of fine arts.

Because of the addition of this team, combined with Shanghai University’s original fine arts faculty, Shanghai University added a doctoral program in fine arts in 2005, thus becoming the first institution in Shanghai’s history to confer a doctoral degree in fine arts.

The project "Research on the History of Chinese Art Market" chaired by Professor Luo Hongcai was approved as a key art project of the National Social Science Fund in 2008 (project code: D.09-0126-08-402).

In July 2008, the first batch of more than 40 master's students trained by the institute successfully graduated and served in universities, museums, cultural foundations, publishing and media and other units.

As of 2010, more than 150 graduate students (including masters and doctoral students) from three classes have completed their studies and entered the society.

In July 2010, the establishment was abolished and merged into the Academy of Fine Arts of Shanghai University.