Pirating Their Own

A Yue Minjun copy in Shenzhen / Ling Woo Liu

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Yue Minjun should be as happy as all of his self-portraits. On a recent trip to piracy heaven, also known as Shenzhen's Luohu Commercial City, I spotted some knockoff versions of the contemporary Chinese artist's work. It was a bit jarring, given that I was surrounded by five floors of fake Prada bags, iPods and Callaway golf clubs—all foreign brands. In October, I interviewed Yue for a multimedia slideshow that we produced to go with a cover story (by Hannah Beech) about Asia's red-hot artists. He told me that he started to draw as a kid in order to minimize his boredom in the classroom. Lucky for him, his method of passing time now earns him millions—last June, his painting “The Pope” sold for $4.28 million at a Sotheby's auction in London. Homegrown artists like Yue are becoming so well know in China and abroad that artists churn out replicas by the hundreds in places like Shenzhen's Dafen village, long known for its copies of Van Gogh and Monet. Before I left Luohu, I asked the shop attendant how much the Yue paintings cost. She explained that they were replicas, but at $90, they were a great deal. I thanked her for the info and said I'd mull it over. “I'll give it to you for $70,” she said on my way out. As different Chinese industries start to build their brand recognition abroad, I'm sure we'll start to see more and more knockoff Chinese labels. Move over Gucci and Prada. Soon enough Hong Kong's tai-tais will be heading to Shenzhen to load up on fake Shanghai Tang, Lenovo and Li Ning.