Yan Pei-Ming: Eye to Eye

Thaddaeus Ropac Paris Pantin presents new works by Yan Pei-Ming in his first solo exhibition at the Pantin gallery. Spanning monumental to intimate formats, the works depict a spectrum of subjects—lions, monkeys, Pablo Picasso, the artist as Pope, and self-portraits—bridging animal and human, mythical and personal, tradition and spontaneity. Drawing on European painting history and his Chinese heritage, Yan repeatedly explores the motif of the lion, recalling both Chinese guardian lions and European depictions by Rubens and Delacroix. His signature painterly language—impassioned brushstrokes, dripping paint, and direct work without preparatory sketches—layered with deliberate final touches, conveys life force, theatricality, and expressive intensity across his portraiture practice.