Yan Pei-Ming

Galerie Rodolphe Janssen, Brussels
Private Collection, Belgium
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is brighter in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Upon very close inspection, there are two pin-prick sized losses; one towards the top left corner on the left extreme edge and another on the lower extreme edge towards the lower left corner. There is extremely minor wear to the lower right extreme corner tip and a minute loss to the impasto peak with an associated hairline crack in the white pigment below the figure's nose. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Yan Pei Ming portrays both a memory and the present, playing with the boundaries of resemblance, painting figures that are at a certain distance from the original but which are still close enough to be recognizable.

 

Mao painted in black and white, which for the Chinese represent the colours of death and mourning, is filled with the energy and strong gaze of this famous figurehead.  Influenced by the fluid paint handling of De Kooning, Yan Pei Ming never stopped depicting portraits of Mao Ze Dong. Starting in his interschool years when he lived in Shanghai and worked as a propaganda artist, he painted vast murals of Chairman Mao in schools and factories. These were always in red, a good, positive colour. Continuing to explore this subject matter, repeatedly trying new things with his portrait and interpreting this most famous of faces. Yan Pei Ming's portraits of Mao are found to be oddly exalting, dynamic, heroic and energetic.  His Mao being very different to those of Andy Warhol, who would portray Mao as an icon or star, whereas for Yan Pei Ming, Mao represents me, you, our father, a dictator, a hero, everything, nothing, he is what we make of him.

 

The present work radiates intensity, Mao is depicted in black and white to represent the colour of death but above all is also the absence of colour. This grey in grey painting bears a beautiful impasto technique that condenses to narrate and immerse the viewer in a profundity of emotions. The impressive large sized Mao is the product of the complex structure of his memory and the specific deployment of mnemonic images transferred onto the canvas in a direct, spontaneous and dramatic style. Mao is eminently real and true, vibrant and relevant. In so doing, the present work evokes subjective reality as a key artistic means of preserving culture.