Yu Chen () is a contemporary Chinese artist and professor at the

Central Academy of Fine Arts The Central Academy of Fine Arts or CAFA is an art academy under the direct charge of the Ministry of Education of China. The Manila Bulletin calls the school "China’s most prestigious and renowned art academy." It is considered one of the most ...

Early life

Chen was born in the

Guizhou province ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

of China in 1963. She has a brother named Chen Yu. She graduated from the Guizhou Art Institute in 1981 and the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing in 1988.

Art

Chen is best known for her ''Red Babies'' (红孩儿) series, which features portraits of Chinese children in Mao suits and other Communist garb. Some of the portraits in the series bear a likeness to

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

and other well-known Communist officials. The title ''Red Babies'' (红孩儿) carries a double meaning, simultaneously referring to children born in Communist China and to the

Red Boy Red Boy (; , ) was a character featured in the 16th century novel ''Journey to the West''. Red Boy was also known as the Boy Sage Great King (聖嬰大王, ''Shèngyīng Dàwáng'') and "Bull Boy Sage" (牛聖嬰, ''Niú Shèngyīng''). Through t ...

from the Chinese epic ''

Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the Classic Chinese Novels, great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the ...

''. Her works have been sold at various notable auction houses, including

Sotheby's Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

, and China Guardian Auctions.

Exhibitions

Yu Chen's major exhibitions include:

Solo exhibitions

* Red Babies, Schoeni Art Gallery, Beijing (2003) * Red Babies, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong (2003) * Red Babies II, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong (2005)

Group exhibtions

* 1st Annual World of Women Artists, Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing (1990) * Chinese Contemporary Engraving Exhibition, Portland Museum, Portland, USA (1996) * Exhibition for the Teachers from the Engraving Department of the Central Academy of the Arts, Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing (1998) * Out of the Box, Art Scene China, Hong Kong (1999) * Group Exhibition, Hanmo Art Gallery, Beijing (2001) * Invitational Exhibition of Fine Sketches from Chinese Academies of Art, Yan Huang Art Museum, Beijing (2001) * International Women Artists' Exhibition, the National Museum of Fine Arts, Beijing (2001) * Open Your Eyes, Chen Yu and Yu Chen, Lotus Arts de Vivre and Schoeni Art Gallery, Bangkok (2003) * Through the Artists' Eyes - A Tribute to Manfred Schoeni, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong (2004) * Made in China, Opera Gallery, London (2006) * Beyond the Canvas, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong (2006) * The Chen Family, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong (2006) * Made in China, Opera Gallery, New York, USA (2007) * RE-collection, A Retrospective Look at 15 Years of Art & Vision”, Schoeni Art Gallery’s 15th Anniversary Exhibition, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong (2007) * The Chen Family, Today Art Museum, Beijing (2008) * The Chinese Approach, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago (2008) * WO.MEN - We Are Our Own Women, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong (2010) * Latitude/Attitude: 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong (2012) * "The Chen Family", YCL Gallery, Beijing (2014) * "Day Dreamer", YCL Gallery, Beijing (2014) * Art Stage Singapore 2016 (2016)

References

External links

Yu Chen's Chinese website

Yu Chen summary on the Ravenel Auction Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Yu 1963 births Living people Chinese contemporary artists Chinese women artists Central Academy of Fine Arts alumni Artists from Guizhou