Yue Minjun

signed in Pinyin and dated 92

Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong
Private Asian Collection

China, Beijing, Yuan Ming Yuan, Yuan Ming Yuan Artists Exhibition, 1992
China, Hong Kong, Schoeni Art Gallery, Faces Behind the Bamboo Curtain: Works by Yue Minjun and Yang Shaobin, 1994, p.13

Collected Edition of Chinese Oil Painters: Volume of Yue Minjun, Chengdu, Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House, China, 2006, p.7

This work is generally in good condition. Upon close inspection, there are minor wear and handling on the edges. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals spots of minor restoration on the blue sky and along the sides of the red pillar, above the lip of the left figure and the right figure's chin, which are not apparent under natural 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.
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“To laugh is to refuse thought.”

Worldly Satire
Yue Minjun

In the world of contemporary Chinese art, the symbolic smiling man by Yue Minjun no doubt remains at the forefront in representing the 1990s decade. These identical faces are not only self-portraits of the artist, but also portraits of a coming-of-age generation who must both live under the remnants of Cultural Revolution and at the same time experience the effects from the rapid modernization of the Chinese society. Through accurately expressing the feeling of helplessness of the Chinese population, Yue has become a key figure in the notable movement “Cynical Realism” coined by pioneering art critic Li Xianting, revealing the disenchantment behind a seemingly perfect nation. In recent years, widely espoused by the media, the smiling man also becomes synonymous with the domain of Chinese contemporary art, propelling Yue to greater heights on an international scale. Wild Laughter (Lot 153) is one of the earliest works by the artist from 1992 to feature the prototypical image of the iconic smiling face and the method of repetition. Furthermore, it is one of only two works, with the other being On the Rostrum of Tian An Men, to depict the extremely rare presence of the Tiananmen rostrum. Having shown in the groundbreaking “Yuanmingyuan Artist Exhibition” in 1992 and the legendary exhibition “Faces Behind the Bamboo Curtain” in Hong Kong, the sheer historical importance of the work has further placed it as one of the most valuable works ever produced by the artist from his early career.

Born in 1962 in Heilongjiang, Yue Minjun belongs to the third generation of artists after the Cultural Revolution. In 1991, his move to the artist village Yuanmingyuan on the outskirt of Beijing was an important turning point in the young artist’s career. It was during his stay there where he could experience true artistic freedom away from the limit imposed by government and academia. “This is exactly the life that I want. Everything is so great. It is not so difficult after all to become an independent artist. The rent is cheap, and the surrounding is better than studios. The most important thing is I can finally determine my own way of life.”¹ It was also in Yuanmingyuan where Yue began to develop friendships with his neighboring artists including Fang Lijun and Yang Shaobin, forming the early band of “Cynical Realists”. These artists would eventually make their appearance into the composition of Yue’s painting, as exemplified in Wild Laughter.

On view are five identical men smiling directly at the viewer against the backdrop of the rostrum of Tiananmen. Although the composition of the blue sky, red pillars, and Chinese lanterns, is similar to On the Rostrum of Tian An Men, it is through Wild Laughter where the signatory icon of the repeated smile began to emerge. The portrayal of the young man, a close artist friend of Yue Minjun, is rendered semi-realistically, with combed back hair and slightly uneven yellowish teeth. This might evoke slight trace of adherence to the school of Social Realism. Yet, the notion of sincerity is betrayed by the repeated exaggerated smile and the presence of the Tiananmen background. It is unclear what the man is laughing at; what stands clear is that for the artist himself, living during the 1990s, laughter has become a way to confront life. During the ’85 New Wave movement came forward a group of Chinese idealistic artists who were inspired by modern ideas from the West to revitalize Chinese culture. For Yue’s generation, the “Cynical Realism”, their witness to the failure of the two previous generations has instead raised fundamental questions for living. Unlike other artists, Yue has chosen to express his view on life through the absurdity of the big smiling face. “The image of a laughing face was to me an assurance that things would get better: that a future life could be as rewarding and meaningful as the Buddha promised.” Furthermore, for Yue, the action of laughing is essential to acquiring spiritual tranquility. “I believed that giving up everything was a way of life; avoiding conflicts in the society could attain inner peace. Giving up allows one to not hold grudge on anything, to be able to laugh things off easily, and to turn problems into thin dust. It is through this can we achieve ultimate peace with ourselves.”²

Since late 1992, the smiling man has taken on Yue Minjun’s own image, further playing out to the idea of self-mockery. Considering this, Wild Laughter is no doubt one of the last works to portray Yue’s close friends on his canvas. The “Yuanmingyuan Artist Exhibition” held at Beijing Yuanmingyuan in 1992 and Yue’s first exhibition in Hong Kong along with Yang Shaobin, “Faces Behind the Bamboo Curtain” at the Schoeni Art Gallery in 1994 are often considered by critics and scholars to be the cornerstone in the formation of “Cynical Realism” and Chinese contemporary art in the 1990s. The participation of Wild Laughter in these two exhibitions is certainly a further pure testament to the artistic merit of the work and the successful aesthetic experimentation made by Yue.

Curator Li Xianting has pointed out that the repetition of smiling men configured in lines was the artist’s attempt at parodying China as the economic machine, one that mass produces commodities and upholds consumerism, “using commercialism and his empty-headed characters to present the problem of a consumerism which has poisoned both Socialist ideals and the individual of our society. This seemingly arbitrary combination of consumerism and anti-individualism gives a cynical and humorous edge to his work.”³ Clearly, the satirical tone and a critical examination into one’s state of being continue to be a consistent theme in the artist’s later works, where the smiling man began to don perfectly white aligned teeth, shaved head, and pink skin. The naturalistic rendering of the figure in Wild Laughter is without a doubt the origin to embody the artist’s vision in portraying the spiritual facade of Chinese people in the early 1990s.

1 Yue Minjun, Sichuan Art Publishing, 2007
2 Refer to 1
3 Faces Behind the Bamboo Curtain, Schoeni Art Gallery, 1994