Yue Minjun

Yue Minjun (b. 1962) Gong Yuan 2000, I signed, numbered and dated 'yue minjun 2000-16' (on the lower back) acrylic on polyester 78¾ x 13¾ x 27½in. (200 x 35 x 70cm.) Executed in 2000, this work is number sixteen from an edition of twenty-five Galerie Urs Meile, Lucerne. Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2005. PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED EUROPEAN COLLECTOR Yue Minjun's works are immediately recognisable. Whether in his larger than life-size sculptures or in paintings, Yue presents a satirical version of his own self-portrait, frequently in multiples, in absurd positions, and always with a gaping over-sized grin. The figures are direct and their impact immediate; but their hilarity more often than not seems frivolous if not cynically hollow. Members of the Chinese avant-garde in the 1990s, like Wang Guangyi and Yue Minjun, found certain affinities between the Chinese propaganda visual style and that of Pop art. The hard lines, muscular figures, and even colour fields became a resource for artists to evoke a history of familiar ideological positions while critiquing the extremes and contradictions inherent in China's path to modernisation. Yue has said that he 'constructs his artistic language as a self-ironic response to the spiritual vacuum and folly of modern-day China.' (M. Yue, quoted in M. Dematte, 48a esposizione internazionale darte, exh. cat., Venice 1999). With his series of Terracotta Warriors, Yue's life-size sculptures reference the famous tomb of Chinas notoriously tyrannical first emperor, in which over seven thousand warriors and other treasures were discovered in 1974. With this reference in mind, the stance of his modern everyman then becomes a pose of supplication, implying a blind and heedless embrace of the paths set before them.

YUE MINJUN (Chinese, B. 1962) Hat Series signed 'yueminjun' in Pinyin; dated '2005' (lower right); signed and dated in Chinese (on the reverse) acrylic on canvas 80 x 80 cm. (31 1/2 x 31 1/2 in.) Painted in 2005 (2) Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner Private Collection, New York, USA New York, USA, Queens Museum of Art, Yue Minjun and the Symbolic Smile, 14 October 2007-6 January 2008. In the short span of three decades, from the 1970s to 1990s, modern China underwent a multitude of changes which evolved, generally speaking, in three successive phases: the late 1970s, when political conscience is, however embryonically, was liberated; the 1980s, a period of cultural enlightenment and subsequent extrication; and the 1990s, wherein society was consumed by economic and commercial globalization. Sweeping and rapid as these socio-economic changes have been, their nature is probably far less complicated and profound than the microscopic transformations that have subsequently occurred inside the minds of men. These convoluted, hidden mentalities, together with the existential reality their bearers inhabit, became the defining concern for an entire generation of artists, and in particular those born in the 1960s. Artists like Fang Lijun, Liu Wei, Yue Minjun, Yang Shaobin, and others, created, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a genre of art characterized by a "blithe and cynical" attitude which, through an ironic approach, captures the development of men and their society in contemporary life. Critics named such style "Cynical Realism." "Cynical Realism," as the name suggests, is both cynical and realistic. A cynical living attitude might seem to be frivolous in nature, one that is casual, indifferent or even senseless, but it is in essence a highly sardonic and insightful mode of commentary on society's ills and injustices; realism, in another respect, refers to the artist's own understanding of "reality." Cynical Realism, then, is a satiric form of expression that prompts the audience to reflect on a "more real" state of "reality" without the illusions of any inherited conventions or ideologies. Yue Minjun started painting portraits in the early 1990s, obviously with the intent to communicate what he observed and felt within his own circle, often already relying on the appearance of laughing, seemingly carefree faces, modeled from his friends and himself. In 1993, Yue began molding the same laughing face - clearly resembling his own - on his painted figures. In 1994 he recalled: "I want to find a new reality, an absolute reality that belongs to me and me alone." What he called an "absolute reality", as his remark made clear, concerns his own state of existence, which no one can possibly understand better than himself, and, as such, no artistic forms are in this regard more revealing than self-portraits. As he advanced his artistic inquiries along these lines, using his repeated self-portrait in a variety of conceptually rich and visually engaging scenarios, his paintings increasingly displayed less easily discernible narrative contexts or settings. The set of oils titled 99 Idols Series, painted in 1996 for the seminal 10th Anniversary Exhibition of Schoeni Art Gallery of Hong Kong, also neatly illustrates Yue's core concepts. On these 99 canvases, each 25 x 20 centimeters in size, the artist paints his own face with a jaw-breaking guffaw, his eyes tightly clenched. Most faces fill the canvas to the brim with an almost claustrophobic exuberance, allowing the audience to detect every minute detail of their rich, exultant expressions which, even though they belong to the artist alone, they are of such diversity that they seem more representative of the whole human race. Renouncing the depiction of the human body, the 99 Idol Series is the artist's first attempt to focus exclusively on facial expressions. That same year, Yue also began his Idol series, a set of 20 oils exhibited in the historic "8+8-1, Selected Paintings by 15 Contemporary Artists", hosted in 1997 by the Schoeni Art Gallery of Hong Kong. Larger in size (40 x 40 centimeters each), the Idol series works not only offer the faces but also the contorted bodily figures of men- an attempt to do away with self-portrayal as a means to locate the artist's and viewer's relationship to a conventional "portrait." The portraits of Yue have thus run through a passage of extremes, from that of a narrative-oriented discourse to a non-narrative expression. Devoid of storyline, the artists creates a space in which to transfigure human sentiment and gesture into his own artistic symbols, which, as a contorted representation of human figures, describe and reveal the absurdity of what we call reality. I think laughter is less detestable. My figures are chortling, guffawing, sneering, laughing convulsively and, perhaps, grinning at death or society. They seem to be doing all these at one and the same time and you can't label their laughter discretely. When one laughs one rejects thinking - that is, when one finds something unfathomable, or too difficult to look over, one wants to get rid of it. - Yue Minjun, 1994 In the sculpture Contemporary Terracotta Warrior (Lot 469), Yue transform the respectful Terracotta Warrior into a fool with closed eye and stiffened laugh in order to survive, illustrating to live or survive in a society one must pervert his disposition and thoughts and, no matter how unwillingly, one has to put on a laughing mask, at least superficially, in order to partake in the general direction taken by the society. Since 2004, Yue started the Hat series in order to investigate the relationship between one's social role and existence. He continues to employ his signature laughing self-portrait. The various styles of hats represent the multitude of roles one take up in the society. Hat Series (Lot 442) represents different roles of a human being living in the contemporary society. To fulfill the role, we somehow have to mask one's true self. Yue has said, "an artist is one who entices incessantly the naive and the dragooned. He lives a faulty life from start to end," illustrating his understanding of "reality", which is precisely the "faulty" life he is destined to lead. Yue Minjun, with the use of a sarcastic and deceptively familiar expression, has pinned down the crux of a twisted humanity and a way of living that demands hypocrisy. It is with this profound conceptual insight, portrayed in a distinct visual style, that he has gained him the recognition of critics and the public alike, instating the epochal significance of "Cynical Realism" in the history of Chinese contemporary art.

Jurassic Artist YUE MINJUN (b.1962) Size 50×40cm Era 2008 Auction 2012 Spring Auction - Chinese Contemporary Art and Sculptures Lot.047 Material Oil on Canvas Signature Signed yue minjun in English and dated 2008 Exposition “I definitely had doubts in the “smile series” and even considered of terminating it. Many said I am replicating myself and the smiling faces no longer have their effects with the change of time. However, I think it’’s only the technique and economic surface that is changing; everything else remains the same.” Yue Min Jun. “侏儸紀” combined the images of“大笑人” and the dinosaur to skillfully imply the passing of time. Before the end of the dinosaur age, reptiles evolved and survival of the fittest created a balance. It has nothing to do with affections or morals. However, in the prosperous 21st Century, simian still competed within this complex socio-economic system. Smiling faces created the image of the society and revealed an absurd spiritual state of the contemporary society. This sneering sarcasm is the most powerful language post 89. Smiling faces could be cynical but also a hypnotizing desire. It’’s like making a wish as though your dream will come true if you look at the smiling face long enough. Yue Min Jun’’s homor captured the representation of the era and brought along self-examination and spiritual strength to the viewers. Estimate TWD 4,800,000 ~ 6,000,000 USD 160,320 ~ 200,400 HKD 1,248,000 ~ 1,560,000 Hammer Price TWD 4,720,000 USD 157,648 HKD 1,227,200

Lot Description YUE MINJUN (Chinese, B. 1962) Era of Hero No. 1 signed 'yueminjun' in Pinyin and dated "2005" (lower left); signed in Chinese and dated '2005' (on the reverse) oil on canvas 170.2 x 139.7 cm. (67 x 55 in.) Painted in 2005 Provenance Private Collection, New York, USA Literature Sichuan Arts Publishing House, Collected Edition of Chinese Oil Painter Volume of Yue Minjun, Chengdu, China, 2006 (illustrated, p. 100). View Lot Notes › Since 2004, Yue started the Hat Series in order to investigate the relationship between one's social role and existence. He continues to employ his signature laughing self-portrait. The various styles of hats represent the multitude of roles one take up in the society. In Era of Hero No. 1 (Lot 2371), contra the artist's usual depiction, the figure stands straight in a disciplined manner in the green military uniform of China's People's Liberation Army. The military uniform is a heroic symbol of authority and power, one that does not fit in with Yue's mindless laughter. The representation shows the gap between man's inner world and his superficial outer shell, suggesting the masking of one's true self required by society. The animal's antenna stretched out of the military hat is an evidence of the inextinguishable human nature, its fundamental resistance to socialization. This dogged nature forms the criticism of the society. Yue has said, "an artist is one who entices incessantly the naive and the dragooned. He lives a faulty life from start to end," illustrating his understanding of "reality", which is precisely the "faulty" life he is destined to lead. Yue Minjun, with the use of a sarcastic and deceptively familiar expression, has pinned down the crux of a twisted humanity and a way of living that demands hypocrisy. It is with this profound conceptual insight, portrayed in a distinct visual style, that he has gained him the recognition of critics and the public alike, instating the epochal significance of "Cynical Realism" in the history of Chinese contemporary art.

YUE Minjun (Chinese, b. 1962) PrintSalute 2005 Oil on canvas 170 x 140 cm Signed lower right yueminjun in English and dated 2005 Signed on the reverse Yue Minjun , titled Salute in Chinese and dated 2005 PROVENANCE: Private collection, Miami EXHIBITIONS: Reproduction Icons: Yue Minjun Works 2004-2006 , He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, 2006, China, June 3 – June 11, 2006 Yue Minjun and the Symbolic Smile , Queens Museum of Art, October 2007 – January 2008, New York ILLUSTRATED: Reproduction Icons: Yue Minjun Works 2004-2006 , He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, 2006, color illustrated, p. 47 Yue Minjun and the Symbolic Smile , Queens Museum of Art, New York, October 2007 – January 2008, color illustrated Catalogue Note: "Salute", from the later period of Yue Minjun's "smiling faces" works, containing all of the elements of the paintings which have made Yue famous globally, is a mature and measured reflection on the angst and pain of the individual in modern Chinese society, a bewildering and perplexing smorgasbord of conflicting idealisms and ideologies which wrench the individual apart. An apparently classic portrait of a soldier saluting is overturned and subverted as Yue's trademark self-portrait grins out wildly. Along with the incongruity of the manic grin on the soldier's face, which in real-life would be imperturbable and unreadable, the absurdity of the situation is further emphasized by his tightly shut eyes against the sunlight falling on his face, as if he needs to shut out the world and hide his pain and fears behind a grinning a mask. Yue Minjun's pictures are some of the most recognizable and immediately identifiable works from the contemporary Chinese art world. He is one of the major players along with artists such as Zhang Xiaogang, Zeng Fanzhi, Wang Guangyi and Cai Guo-qiang, having achieved international recognition and acclaim early in his career with his paintings much sought after by international museums and collectors. As with most of his contemporaries he is intent on exploring the socio-political realities of present day China, and while contemplating the complexities of existence, unlike say Zeng Fanzhi whose works are dark and brooding, Yue takes a humorous, light-hearted and sympathetic approach to the individual struggling to comprehend his place and role in an ever changing and complicated world. Yue's view of life, and his portrayal of his philosophical ruminations in his works are inherently influenced by his reasonably privileged early life, his attempt to break away from conformity and collectivism, his early dalliance with a bohemian lifestyle in an artist's commune, and the shock and horror in 1989 at both the Chinese government's crackdown on the art world, and Tiananmen Square. His smiling self-portraits first appeared in 1993, and they were a way for him to escape the pain and incomprehension of the world around him, while playfully exposing his own and others' deep angst. His answer seems to be to laugh at life's conundrums, and maintain a sense of humor, even if you are facing a firing squad in Tiananmen Square, one of his most famous depictions. Yue was unstable and unsatisfied as a worker, he entered Hebei Normal University where he studied art. On graduating he left the safe and secure life of his parents behind and moved into an early artist's commune in Beijing much to his parents' chagrin. Life was not easy there, as most artists were considered undocumented migrant workers, but Yue reveled in the freedom of life compared to his life in the oil camps. For the first time he could decide his own schedule, his own lifestyle, and discuss his real thoughts with likeminded friends. Yue's early art was realistic in style. He liked to paint things that he saw. He has said that if he saw a pretty girl outside, when he got home he wanted to paint her. Or if he saw a flock of geese flying overhead in formation he wanted to paint it immediately. With the constant change of locations in his early life as his parents' jobs entailed constant movement, Yue developed a keen sense of observation, both of the physical world around him, and of his own internal world. These traits stayed with him in his smiling portraits as a lot of their absurdity comes from the incongruousness of the realistic subject matter paired with the intoxicating grinning self-portraits, such as a flock of Geese being ridden by smiling Yues. Although life in the artist village seemed carefree and idyllic, events in the outside world were anything but, and were to have lasting effects on artistic expression. As China opened up to the world in the 1980s, artists became exposed to Western art traditions for the first time. A large artistic avant-garde movement grew up especially in Beijing, which explored the ills of society and the angst and suffering of individuals. The Chinese government had no idea how to react to this newfound freedom of expression. In 1989, they allowed the first exhibition of contemporary Chinese art known as "No U-Turn". On the opening day, one of the artists fired a gun at her installation. The reaction was brutal and strong, the exhibition was immediately shut down, and artists were rounded up by the authorities and warned that "freedom of expression" had ended and that if they defied this, they would be sent to the countryside for reeducation. Some months later, the crackdown in Tiananmen Square took place, and the position of the authorities could not be clearer. The art world became very quiet for the next two of years. For artists meeting together became a very dangerous activity. Isolated from their peers, they became more introspective and thought long and hard about how they could express themselves with an intolerant government watching them closely. In true Oriental fashion they found the answer, veil or mask what you truly think and feel, behind a veneer of normalcy. One of the movements which came out of this is "Cynical Realism" which uses an ironic or humorous attitude to examine deep issues, and Yue Minjun is one if its greatest proponents. As Zeng Fanzhi adopted the concept of a mask, Yue Minjun created his iconic smiling self-portrait as a way to interpret the individual in a society where having free or independent thoughts or ideas was tantamount to treason. Yue has said that he was inspired by the movies, where an actor plays different roles, but behind the role the actor is always himself or herself such as an icon like Marilyn Monroe. An icon carries a message and from this Yue got the idea of using an exaggerated self-portrait to ironically comment on the individual's and society's ills. Depicting figures with large faces, open mouths, shiny rows of teeth and closed eyes, Yue Minjun created an icon of the times. Faced with a meaningless, heartless and absurd world, we can and do laugh back. Yue has said " in Chinese tradition you can't say things directly. You have to show something else for real meaning. I wanted to show a happy smile and that behind it is something sad, and even dangerous. I wanted to express how I was feeling, lost and hurt, and the best way was with ridiculous laughter, hiding the bad feelings behind a smile. Arousing feelings of strength and self-mockery to relieve the unhappiness in my heart. Art should be an expression of one's particular feelings. One remains outwardly cheerful and confident when faced with difficulties and hardships in life. " "Salute" is an iconic and magnificent representation of Yue's work. Employing a Pop Art style, Yue uses techniques from comic books, propaganda posters and advertisements. Oversized features and the expression come from comic characters, the white teeth, red lips and pink skin from advertising, and the happy soldier is straight from a propaganda poster. However the closed eyes stop the viewer peering into and connecting with the figure's soul, and as with real life laughter we feel a little isolated, and cut off. We want to laugh with him, but instead we feel a sense of disconnectedness and a little sadness that we cannot know what he is really thinking, whether he is hiding pain or sadness, or if he is hiding subversive thoughts. And this is the true hallmark of a great artist, provoking different reactions, and different views of his work.