Biography
Liu Ye, born in 1964 in Beijing, is one of his country's most famous contemporary painters. The artist is particularly known for his female child characters and his use of bright colors. Among the people who influenced the artist we can cite his father who was a writer and collector of children's books, Pet Mondrian, a Dutch painter or even Paul Klee (painter of German origin). The artist's training began at the age of 16 at the Beijing School of Arts and Crafts where he graduated in 1984. He continued his training at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing then finally obtained his MFA in 1994 at the University of the Arts Berlin Liu Ye currently lives and works in Beijing.
Liu Ye was immersed in Western culture very early on thanks to literature, which would particularly influence his work. Indeed, the artist prefers to be interested in universal themes such as beauty and hope rather than being linked to his Chinese origin in his works. We find the childish naivety characteristic of the books of his childhood in his paintings. The artist is particularly famous for his cartoon character called “Miffy the bunny”, a comic book character created by Dick Bruna which he paints, or even “Little Mermaid” (Walt Disney). Among the artist's well-known works are She and Mondrian (2011) and Leave Me in the Dark (2009).
Liu Ye's works have been exhibited both in China and abroad. In Beijing we can cite the Yang Art Museum, the Red Star Gallery, The National Art Museum, Schoeni Art Gallery. The artist was also exhibited in 2000 at the Lococo Mulder Gallery in Berlin, at the Chinese Contemporary Gallery in London in 2001, at the Tomio Koyama Gallery in Tokyo, at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017. The artist's personal exhibitions artists abroad are also to be taken into account: we can cite “Bamboo Bamboo Broadway” in 2012, “Leave Me in the Dark” in 2009, “Temptations” in 2006.
Nationality