Gift shops at the best Western museums are usually important stops for visitors seeking everything from fine reproductions of Egyptian earrings to fashionable handbags printed with Monet’s water lilies.

In China, the market for art derivatives at both museums and independent gift shops is just beginning to develop.

Turnover of art licensing and art derivatives in 2010 reached 6 billion yuan (US$985 million), according to China’s Ministry of Culture.

According to some estimates, it could one day reach 176 billion yuan, so the potential is alluring.

Art lovers and business people are trying to cash in on the potential, emphasizing Chinese art, ancient, modern and contemporary — and go beyond key rings, coasters and T-shirts. But stationery, mugs and items of daily use remain staples, even bearing the ubiquitous Mona Lisa.

Gift shops in Chinese art museums have been around for a long time, selling miniature terra cotta warriors, reproductions of traditional ink wash and carved seals, among other items.

But art licensing and art derivatives are quite new.

In 2011, when Zhen Peiguang opened his first gift shop, Red Town Art Salon, selling art derivatives — stationery, daily items, limited edition prints, statues based on original art — he had no idea how far his shop could go.

So far, he says his gift shop barely breaks even, but he and colleagues last week opened an art derivatives exhibition center in Baoshan District. If the public becomes informed and all goes well, he says he plans to open 30 shops around China in the next five years.

Lili Yao, an office worker who loves art, has traveled around the world, and visited many art museums.

“To tell you the truth, the venue that attracts me most is the gift shop,” she says, adding that she first visits the shop to find out which works are important and decide which art derivative gifts and souvenirs to buy.

“The imagination and creativity in reproducing those renowned images onto various objects are unbelievable,” she says, citing a bracelet watch she bought from the gift shop at MoMA New York.

“The snake pattern on the bracelet is based on a watercolor by an 18th century artist,” she says. “Some of my friends mistake the watch for Bvlgari.”

The quality items available in Western museum gift shops are far superior to most of those in China, except for those at the Shanghai Museum, Yao says.

Entrepreneur Zhen says art lovers won’t miss the gift shops in famous museums such as MoMA, the British Museum, the Louvre, and Victoria & Albert.

When he first became interested in derivatives, he was fascinated to see famous images, such as the Mona Lisa, on a cup or table napkin.

Now he hopes his permanent exhibition center — which he calls China’s first — will educate the people and fuel interest. The “experimental” venue displays 500 items from museums around the world.

“The items are not for sale, I hope visitors will appreciate the marvelous art recreations,” Zhen says.

The scope of derivatives has expanded far beyond postcards and umbrellas.

A good example is the Golden Bee Cup developed by the Paris Museum Association — nearly 8 million have been sold since 1997. The design is based on the golden bee embossed on the crest of the Napoleonic Empire. Zhen quotes Pascale Brund’Arre, the famous designer of the art derivative Golden Bee Cup, as saying that “a minimized reproduction of the original artwork is a plain and poor ‘mirroring,’ the design of art derivatives needs to cater to the modern aesthetic.”

He said Western designers are creative in focusing on a certain part of the original work, changing proportion and colors and making it a more fashionable item. “Who would refuse a candlestick inspired by the tableware of 18th century European nobility for 75 euros (US$102) or a hand embroidered scarf for 95 euros?”

As a combination of art and design, art derivatives have a long way to go in China.

Zhen said he’s heard that the total value of derivatives through art licensing in China could someday reach 176 billion yuan.

“Perhaps I’m a bit too optimistic, now my gift shop can barely make ends meet,” he says, adding that promotion and public education are necessary.

Unlike museum gift shops that often can develop derivatives based on their collections, Zhen is not so lucky. Some museums are not so fortunate either.

He also supplies derivatives to Shanghai’s Power Station of Art and the Shanghai, China Museum of Art in the former China National Pavilion of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo. He runs gift shops in both museums, selling modern and fashionable items at the Power Station and more traditional artsy souvenirs at the museum of art.

The Power Station of Art, a museum of contemporary art, is China’s first government-aided contemporary art museum, but Zhen says it overwhelmingly displays big-name foreign artists. “Its collection of Chinese contemporary art is nearly zero,” he says. “It is common knowledge that without a collection, there can be no art derivatives, so I have to work project by project.”

The Shanghai, China Museum of Art and Zhen’s team “are wracking our brains to raise the quality of art derivatives.

After all, the museum is an art icon of this cosmopolitan city.”

He says he wants to produce limited edition prints and sculpture, citing painters Xue Song, Lin Hairong and Ding Yi, and painter-sculptor Sui Jianguo. He said he has got permission from the artists who are willing to give a different exposure of their works to a wide range of people.

Meanwhile, some private museum gift shops are selling derivatives and specially designed gifts.

Last week, the gift shop at Aurora Museum in Lujiazui area offered a 40,000-yuan wooden “Dream Chair” designed by Tadao Ando and Carl Hansen & Son. Ando, one of the most world famous architects, designed the Aurora Museum.

“We are trying to present a different gift shop in China,” says Crystal Wang, senior manager at the shop.

At this time, only a few blue-and-white porcelain items, among 80 items on sale, are based on the collection. The shop is more like a designer’s shop with stationery items and tea sets. The shop carries designer brands such as plus+ from Japan, Daycraft from Hong Kong Special Administration Region and Jia from Taiwan Province.

“We aim to build up our gift shop to MoMA level,” Wang says, adding that all items are functional and for daily use.

The museum, which opened last year, is also developing art derivatives based on its collection of ancient Chinese art.

In Zhen’s shop, he sells some designer alternative ornaments, furniture and tea sets.

“It is tougher to develop art derivatives for Chinese contemporary art, which requires diversity and vitality,” he says.

Zhen was in charge of the art derivatives of the exhibition “Andy Warhol 15 Minutes Eternal” at the Power Station of Art in April.

Around 50 Warhol art derivatives were sold at that show, ranging from limited edition silk screen prints to a tomato sauce can memory stick, all priced between 100 yuan and 30,000 yuan.

The Power Station did not develop the derivatives — four agents were licensed by Warhol and the museum was authorized to sell them during the exhibition, Zhen said.

“I’m surprised at the purchasing power of locals who made purchases at the exhibition, which provides the huge potential market for quality art derivatives,” he said.

Zhen now works with young artists to develop art derivatives. His shop sells nearly 500 distinct items, including stationery, ornaments, daily use objects and limited edition prints and sculptures.

“In my view, young artists have a more international background. They don’t care about political pop and the contents of their work are richer. They are very willing to cooperate and I am happy to provide a platform for their exposure to the public,” he says.

“Not everyone can afford an original art piece,” he says, “but art derivatives provide easy access to art, with a charming touch.”