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Yue Minjun Art

Chinese, b. 1962

YUE MINJUN Yue Min-Jun (born 1962, Daqing, China) is one of the leading Chinese artists. He is best known for oil paintings depicting formations of his laughing self-portraits in various settings. His iconography is easily recognisable, it challenges social and cultural conventions by depicting objects and political issues in a radical, abstract, ironic and cynical manner. Yue Min-Jun initially started painting as a hobby, subsequently he graduated from the Oil Painting Department of Hebei Normal University, China in 1985. In the 90s he joined an artist community in Yuan Ming Yuan, a village near Beijing where he began to form his style and iconography. The paintings, sculptures, and installations of Yue Minjun feature uniform laughing pink faces, which appear to be self-portraits. Through various symbols, metaphors, signs, or through depictions of daily life the artist constructs various realities against which the laughing figures are rendered. "In my work, laughter is a representation of a state of helplessness, lack of strength and participation, with the absence of our rights that society has imposed on us." —Yue Minjun Yue became famous after his participation in the 48th Venice Biennale in 1999, which granted him access to international art. One of the best-known paintings by Yue Minjun and an icon for modern Chinese art and the Cynical Realism movement is Execution. It was painted in 1995 and is generally regarded as a reaction to the Tiananmen Square crackdown of 1989, as it shows several laughing men in front of an execution squad. The cloned all smiling Minjun self-portraits have become known in the art world as the "Silly Man". As the preparation for his paintings, the artist uses photographs of himself being photographed in various poses. This approach reflects the self-irony of the artist. Yue Minjun is often classified as part of the Chinese "Cynical Realist" movement, however, the artist does not support such attribution. Nevertheless, Yue often challenges social and cultural conventions by depicting objects and political issues in a radical, abstract, ironic and cynical manner.

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Artist: Yue Minjun
Surplus Value (Beige)
By Yue Minjun
Located in Bristol, GB
Mixed materials (wood & copper) Edition of 75 Signed on the base, and numbered on the base and the accompanying insert card Mint. Small chip on the wooden box bottom back corner, oth...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Yue Minjun Art

Materials

Copper

Surplus Value (Brown)
By Yue Minjun
Located in Bristol, GB
Mixed materials (wood & copper) Edition of 75 Signed on the base, and numbered on the base and the accompanying insert card Mint. Small chip on the wooden box bottom back corner, oth...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Yue Minjun Art

Materials

Copper

Remarkable People, Yue Minjun- Art, Lithograph, Limited Edition, Chinese
By Yue Minjun
Located in Zug, CH
Yue Minjun, Remarkable People Contemporary, 21st Century, Lithograph, Limited Edition, Chinese Lithograph Edition of 130 80 × 120 cm (47 1/5 × 31 1/2 in) Stamped Signature, numbered ...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Yue Minjun Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled (Smile-ism No. 20)
By Yue Minjun
Located in Calabasas, CA
Artist: Yue Minjun Title: Untitled (Smile-ism No. 20) Year: 2006 Medium: Lithograph on Rives BFK paper Edition: 45; signed and numbered in pencil Sheet: 43.50 x 35.25 in. (110.5 x 8...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Yue Minjun Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled (Smile-ism No. 9)
By Yue Minjun
Located in Calabasas, CA
Artist: Yue Minjun Title: Untitled (Smile-ism No. 9) Year: 2006 Medium: Lithograph on Rives BFK paper Edition: 45; signed and numbered in pencil Sheet: 31.5 x 43.25 in. (80 x 109.9 ...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Yue Minjun Art

Materials

Lithograph

Paean on Grassland, Yue Minjun - Art, Lithograph, Limited Edition, China, Print
By Yue Minjun
Located in Zug, CH
Yue Minjun, Paean on Grassland Contemporary, 21st Century, Lithograph, Limited Edition, Chinese Lithograph Edition of 130 80 x 120 cm (47 1/5 × 31 1/2 in) S...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Yue Minjun Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Three Musketeers
By Yue Minjun
Located in Calabasas, CA
Artist: Yue Minjun Title: The Three Musketeers Year: 2022 Medium: Screenprint on Rives BFK paper, deckled edges Edition: 130; signed and numbered in pencil Sheet: 31 1/2 × 39 2/5 in...
Category

2010s Contemporary Yue Minjun Art

Materials

Screen

Hero Here - Contemporary, 21st Century, Lithograph, Limited Edition, Chinese
By Yue Minjun
Located in Zug, CH
Yue Minjun, Hero Here Contemporary, 21st Century, Lithograph, Limited Edition, Chinese Lithograph Edition of 130 120 × 80 cm (47 1/5 × 31 1/2 in) Stamped Signature, numbered in Roman...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Yue Minjun Art

Materials

Lithograph

Starry Night - Contemporary, 21st Century, Lithograph, Limited Edition, Chinese
By Yue Minjun
Located in Zug, CH
Yue Minjun, Starry Night Lithograph Edition of 130 120 x 80 cm (47.2 x 31.5 in) Stamped Signature, numbered in Roman numerals In mint condition, as acquired from the publisher PLEAS...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Yue Minjun Art

Materials

Lithograph

Sheep Herd - Contemporary, 21st Century, Lithograph, Limited Edition, Chinese
By Yue Minjun
Located in Zug, CH
Yue Minjun, Sheep Herd Lithograph Edition of 130 120 x 80 cm (47.2 x 31.5 in) Stamped Signature, numbered in Roman numerals In mint condition, as acquired...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Yue Minjun Art

Materials

Lithograph

Snatched Ecstasy (Portfolio of 20), Lithograph, Limited Edition, Chinese
By Yue Minjun
Located in Zug, CH
Yue Minjun, Snatched Ecstasy (Portfolio of 20) Contemporary, 21st Century, Lithograph, Limited Edition, Chinese Lithograph Edition of 130 80 × 120 cm (47 1/5 × 31 1/2 in) Each print ...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Yue Minjun Art

Materials

Lithograph

Lotus Pool - Contemporary, 21st Century, Lithograph, Limited Edition, Chinese
By Yue Minjun
Located in Zug, CH
Yue Minjun, Lotus Pool Lithograph in color on wove paper “BFK Rives” Edition of 130 120 x 80 cm (47.2 x 31.4 in) Stamped Signature, numbered in Roman numerals In mint condition, as a...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Yue Minjun Art

Materials

Lithograph

Floating Clouds - Contemporary, 21st Century, Lithograph, Limited Edition
By Yue Minjun
Located in Zug, CH
Yue Minjun, Floating Clouds Contemporary, 21st Century, Lithograph, Limited Edition Lithograph Edition of 130 80 x 120 cm (31.4 x 47.2 in) Stamped Signa...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Yue Minjun Art

Materials

Lithograph

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Previously Available Items
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Yue Minjun, Armed Forces Contemporary, 21st Century, Lithograph, Limited Edition, Chinese Lithograph Edition of 130 80 × 120 cm (31.5 × 47.2 in) Stamped Signature, numbered in Roman ...
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Big Swans - Contemporary, 21st Century, Lithograph, Limited Edition, Chinese
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Yue Minjun art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Yue Minjun art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue, orange, purple and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Yue Minjun in lithograph, copper, metal and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Yue Minjun art, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Alex Guofeng Cao, Wang Guangyi, and Ger Doornink. Yue Minjun art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $3,000 and tops out at $250,000, while the average work can sell for $9,320.
Questions About Yue Minjun Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertOctober 15, 2024
    The Chinese Cynical Realism artists are a group of contemporary artists who emerged in the 1990s. Through their paintings and other work, they sought to comment on sociopolitical issues, such as Communism, industrialization and modernization. Some of the most well-known Chinese Cynical Realists include Fang Lijun, Liu Wei and Yue Minjun. On 1stDibs, explore a collection of Chinese paintings.

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