Yue Minjun: L’ombre du fou rire

This French and English catalogue of Chinese artist Yue Minjun’s paintings, sculptures, and drawings from 1991–2012 provides a detailed retrospective and a refreshing portrait of his career in relation to China’s changing socio-political climate. Often credited as a leader of the post-Tiananmen “cynical realism” art movement, Minjun is considered one of the most important artists of his generation. He began making his mass-produced, psychotically grinning self-portraits to express the mood of crushing disillusionment after the violent 1989 student protests. French philosopher and sinologist Jullien offers insight into Minjun’s “unvarying rictus” and intentional lack of subjectivity, and the poem “Confessions of Laughter,” by Chinese poet and critic Jianghe, complements the illustrations. The catalogue also includes an interview by the artist’s friend, Shen Zhong, in which Minjun discusses his early years at the Yuan Ming Yuan painters’ village and his method of using hilarity as a weapon: “With some people, it’s useless to glare at them with looks of hatred—what you have to use is laughter.” This definitive collection of Minjun’s work is essential for scholars of contemporary Chinese art. 150 color and b&w illus. (May)