Lot 186
Yang Yang (Chinese-American, b. 1953). Abstract Figural Composition with Music. Mixed media: oil paint, sheet music, and ink on art paper, n.d. Initialed at lower right. A striking composition by Yang Yang, this mixed media work blends oil paint, ink, and collaged fragments of sheet music to create a layered meditation on identity and memory. Two elongated figures emerge from a vertical divide of white space: one painted in crimson and outlined in black, the other shadowed in gray and purple against a dark ground. Their forms overlap, neither fully distinct nor fully merged, evoking a state of flux between presence and absence, self and other. Yang Yang's use of torn paper and musical notation adds symbolic texture, suggesting the interplay between structure and improvisation, much as his art often bridges cultures and philosophies. The expressive brushwork and stark contrasts capture the artist's interest in ambiguity, in imagery that refuses simple resolution. Size of painting: 3.5" W x 5.5" H (8.9 cm x 14 cm); of frame: 8.25" W x 10.25" H (21 cm x 26 cm)
As in much of Yang's oeuvre, this piece invites the viewer into an open field of interpretation - an illusory world where every detail becomes part of a larger, unspoken story.
About the artist: Born in 1953 in Nanchang, China, Yang Yang grew up in a household grounded in both engineering and education. His father, Yang Ge, was an engineer and his mother, Qi Hua Ling, a teacher. At age sixteen, Yang encountered the painter Zhu Yu Hu, whose influence would remain profound throughout his life. He later described Zhu not merely as an art teacher but as a mentor who shaped both his artistic foundation and his philosophical outlook.
In 1975, Yang graduated from Yichun Teachers College in Jiangxi. He began his teaching career at Xiao Gang High School and later taught at Nanchang Qishanhu School, balancing his duties as a literature instructor with an increasing devotion to art. During this period he also pursued further study at Jiangxi Teachers College, where professors Qixianmu and Zhang Yuanyou left a lasting impact on him - Yang would later call them "soul makers."
In 1984, Yang Yang made a pivotal decision: he left China and moved to the United States to deepen his artistic studies. At Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, he earned his Master of Arts degree in 1987 and joined the faculty there as an art instructor. His years in the Midwest proved formative, both academically and artistically, and introduced his works to American audiences for the first time. His early exhibitions gained critical attention, with works featured in publications such as "ArtNews," "Interview Magazine," and "Art & Antiques."
Yang Yang's art is marked by its mythical landscapes where animals and humans coexist in fluid, ambiguous states. His palette often gravitates toward monochromatic tones, layering texture and form to explore humanity in ways that defy racial or ethnic boundaries. His works provoke interpretation rather than provide resolution. As the artist himself has said: "There is no answer. You just have to think about it. If the artist does not tell the story, there will be a thousand stories."
Throughout his career, Yang Yang has exhibited widely across the United States and internationally. He has shown at major institutions such as the Xi'an Art Museum in 2004, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in 2007, and the ShanDong Art Museum in 2014. His work has been collected by notable institutions including the Mobile Museum of Art and continues to appear at international fairs such as Art Basel, Art Palm Beach, Scope Miami, and Art Hamptons.
With more than four decades of work, Yang Yang has cultivated a vision that transcends cultural boundaries. His paintings invite audiences into an illusory world - one where myth, history, and memory intermingle, and where every viewer becomes a storyteller.
Provenance: private Burbank, Illinois, USA collection via inheritance 2024, acquired between 1970s to 2000s
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#196588
- Condition: Mounted behind glass in custom matte and frame suspension hook on verso. Has not been examined outside of glass, but painting and frame appear to be in excellent overall condition. Initialed at lower right.
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