Minjun, Yue | Surplus Value (Brown), 2019 — available on Composition Gallery

Mixed materials (wood & copper) - Signed and numbered on the base; numbered on accompanying insert card

Surplus Value (Brown) by Yue Minjun is a mixed-media sculpture from 2019, crafted from wood and copper. The piece features a signature laughing figure with exaggerated expressions, characteristic of Yue’s satirical work. The figure’s wide, almost comical grin is both a symbol of joy and a critique of societal conventions, blurring the line between humor and irony. The copper dish placed atop the figure’s head adds an additional layer of meaning, possibly referencing the commodification of human emotion or value. The warm brown tones of the wood give the sculpture a rich, polished appearance that contrasts with its playful expression.

Yue Minjun (China, 1962) is a renowned contemporary artist celebrated for his satirical self-portraits featuring exaggerated laughter. His works, rooted in Cynical Realism, critique societal norms and political issues with humor and irony. Using bold colors and repetitive imagery, Yue’s paintings are iconic representations of post-Tiananmen Chinese art.

Yue Minjun

Surplus Value (Brown), 2019

Name: Surplus Value (Brown), 2019
SKU: 13994

Form

Sculpture / Object

Sculpture / ObjectA sculpture is a three-dimension object made using any one of the basic sculpting processes. These include carving, casting, constructing or modeling. Carving materials may be bone, ivory, stone or wood. Modeling and casting use clay or wax, while constructions glue materials together.

Medium

Mixed Media

Mixed MediaMixed media refers to artwork that incorporates more than one medium within a single piece. Unlike multimedia art, which combines distinct forms of visual art and often includes elements like sound, video, or digital media, mixed media focuses on combining traditional art materials, such as paint, ink, and collage. Mixed media art allows artists to achieve a wide range of effects and textures by layering and blending different materials.

Edition

Edition of 75

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Mixed materials (wood & copper) - Signed and numbered on the base; numbered on accompanying insert card

Yue Minjun

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Untitled (Smile-ism No. 9), 2006

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Surplus Valu(...), 2019

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Surplus Valu(...), 2019

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Smile-ism No(...), 2006

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Floating Clo(...), 2009

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Karate, 2006

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You're so Ma(...), 2001

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I’m actually trying to make sense of the world.
- Yue Minjun

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.

Available works by Yue Minjun

See all →

Yue Minjun

Untitled (Smile-ism No.25), 2006

Limited Edition Print

Lithograph

USD 6,500

Yue Minjun

The Three Musketeers, 2019-2022

Limited Edition Print

Screen-print

USD 2,300

Yue Minjun

Untitled (Smile-ism No. 9), 2006

Limited Edition Print

Lithograph

USD 3,750

Artwork by Feng Zhengjie

What is Chinese contemporary art?

Chinese Contemporary Art is marked by a wide range of styles and experimental approaches. In the 1980s, avant-garde exhibitions were often shut down by government officials. The 1990s saw the rise of political pop and cynical realism, while China's One-Child Policy influenced artists to explore the individual as a subject matter.

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Yue Minjun