Yan Pei-Ming Art

Yan Pei-Ming is a Chinese painter, well known for his epic-sized portraits of Mao Zedong. Yan creates distinctive portraits of famous figures of the 20th century, like Michael Jackson, Bruce Lee, and Pablo Picasso. “I’m interested in everything, just as much art history as historical figures and the anonymous,” the artist said. He works with big brushes and his paintings are brought to life by the rapid brushstrokes that structure the picture space. He grew up and started painting during the Cultural Revolution. In 1980, he left Shanghai for France, where he enrolled in the École des Beaux-Arts, graduating in 1999. He gained international attention and recognition in 2003 when he was called to participate in the Venice Biennial six years later. His work was acquired by the Louvre, where he exhibited a collection of portraits that sought to convey his perspective on Leonardo da Vinci's oeuvre. Public collections holding works by Yan Pei-Ming include the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, the Honolulu Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, the Museum Ludwig and the Shanghai Art Museum.