Artwork Description

Title: Garden
Artist: Yue Minjun
Date: 2003
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 38.8 x 38.8 in (98.5 x 98.5 cm)

📘 Main Description

1. Artwork Identification
Garden by Yue Minjun presents a concentrated meditation on the artist’s iconic visual language within a compact, square format. Rendered in oil on canvas, the painting depicts one or more iterations of Minjun’s unmistakable laughing self-portrait, set within a surreal or allegorical outdoor setting. The saturation of color, hyper-controlled brushwork, and the fixed, manic smile evoke an eerie harmony, typical of the artist’s work, while the restrained scale allows for an intimate yet jarring confrontation with the viewer.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
This work reflects the hallmarks of Yue Minjun’s Cynical Realism—an aesthetic and philosophical approach rooted in satire, repetition, and self-effacement. His laughing figure, often interpreted as a response to socio-political disillusionment, becomes a recurring mask rather than a portrait. In Garden, the juxtaposition of this exaggerated expression within a natural or artificially idyllic setting may allude to the absurdity of utopian ideals. The composition bears influences from both Chinese traditional painting and Western postmodern critique, echoing elements of Dada and Surrealism.

3. Historical Context
Emerging in the wake of China’s post-Tiananmen cultural climate, Yue Minjun developed a highly recognizable artistic identity that critiques mass conformity, spiritual emptiness, and consumer spectacle. Garden, though undated, clearly belongs to this broader post-1989 context in which Chinese artists began to re-negotiate their place between personal expression and collective history. The artwork can be seen as part of Minjun’s broader interrogation of constructed happiness and societal performance.

4. Provenance and Authenticity
For information regarding the provenance and authenticity of this artwork, please contact the gallery directly. Authenticity certificates and provenance documentation are available upon request.

5. Condition and Conservation
The work is in excellent condition with no apparent surface damage or pigment instability. The canvas is taut, and the oil paint retains its original vibrancy and finish. No restorations, abrasions, or discolorations are evident under standard light inspection. Further conservation reports can be made available upon request.