Yue Minjun – Untitled (Smile-ism No.2) 2006 | Limited Edition

Yue Minjun - Untitled Smile-ism No.2 (2006)

€3.000,00

Untitled (Smile-ism No.2), 2006

Artist: Yue Minjun
Title: Untitled (Smile-ism No. 2)
Year: 2006
Medium: Lithograph in colours
Dimensions: 109.7 × 80 cm
Edition: 45 — signed and numbered
Signature: Signed and numbered by the artist
Type: Large-format limited edition lithograph

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Description :

Untitled (Smile-ism No. 2) (2006) is a large-format lithograph from one of the most internationally celebrated Chinese artists of the post-Tiananmen generation. Yue Minjun’s practice is built on a single, inexhaustible motif: his own laughing face, multiplied, repeated, and arranged across the picture plane in compositions of simultaneously joyful and deeply unsettling psychological resonance. The laugh is not happiness — it is the mask of helplessness, the response of someone who cannot cry, cannot speak, and cannot act, yet must present a face to the world.

The Smile-ism series distils this practice to its purest form — the smile as ideology, as collective condition, as the governing principle of a social world in which the expression of genuine emotion has been supplanted by the performance of prescribed feeling. Yue Minjun developed his signature grinning self-portrait in the early 1990s in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square events, and in the years since it has become one of the most recognisable images in contemporary Chinese art, its meaning resonating far beyond its immediate historical context into any culture where social performance and inner life have parted ways.

Produced as a lithograph in colours in a strict edition of 45 — one of the smallest in Yue Minjun’s print catalogue — signed and numbered by the artist. At 109.7 × 80 cm, the work commands space with the authority of a major studio production. Yue Minjun’s paintings have achieved eight-figure results at auction; his prints in editions of this size are among the most actively collected works in the contemporary Chinese art market.

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FAQ

Is this Yue Minjun artwork an original limited edition?

Yes. Untitled (Smile-ism No.2) (2006) is an authentic limited edition lithograph by Yue Minjun, produced in an edition of only 45 copies.

Is the artwork signed by the artist?

Yes. Each lithograph is hand-signed and numbered by Yue Minjun, ensuring authenticity and strong collectible value.

What is the Smile-ism series?

The Smile-ism series is one of Yue Minjun’s most iconic bodies of work, using exaggerated smiling figures to critique identity, conformity, political history, and contemporary Chinese society.

What technique was used for this artwork?

This work is a lithograph, allowing for vivid colors, sharp contours, and faithful reproduction of Yue Minjun’s expressive visual language.

What are the dimensions of the artwork?

The lithograph measures 109.7 × 80 cm, a large-scale format that enhances its visual and conceptual impact.

Is this edition considered collectible?

Absolutely. Signed lithographs from the Smile-ism series, especially with low edition numbers, are highly sought after by collectors of international contemporary art.