Hand-signed by the artist, front.

Yue Minjun’s Untitled (Smile-ism No. 25) (2006) is a striking lithograph that embodies his signature satirical and surrealist style. Featuring three nearly identical, semi-nude male figures reclining on a white surface, their exaggerated grins stretch unnaturally across their faces. Their pinkish, almost sunburned skin contrasts starkly against the pale background, emphasizing the grotesque, almost mechanical nature of their laughter. Minjun, a leading figure in China’s Cynical Realism movement, often uses self-portraiture to explore themes of identity, absurdity, and collective experience. The forced, almost unsettling laughter in Smile-ism No. 25 critiques societal pressures, mass conformity, and the contradictions within contemporary life. The piece, part of a limited edition of 45, captures Minjun’s ability to transform humor into a vehicle for deeper introspection and social commentary.