Karate, 2006

Yue Minjun is a contemporary Chinese artist who works in Beijing. He is most widely known for his oil paintings that show himself laughing in a variety of different settings. He has also copied this image in watercolor, prints and sculpture. Critics have labeled him a part of the "Cynical Realism" movement in China, although he has distanced himself from that group personally. Yue Minjun takes his inspiration from the work of Geng Jianyi, who had used his own laughing visage as a central focus in his work. Yue studied painting from 1985 to 1989 at Hebei Normal University. Yue Minjun’s work has appeared in many galleries in Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore. His work Executiondrew the highest price of any Chinese contemporary artwork ever when it went for US$5.9 million at Sotheby's in London. By 2007, 13 of his paintings had sold for more than US$1 million. His "Hat" series remains one of his most widely admired.