Why Is This Man Laughing?

HE LOOKS LIKE ME Minjun by Chang W. Lee (top); by Lucas Schifres (below) You'd be happy too if the New York Times featured you in a huge spread in its Arts section today and on December 24, 2006.

According to writer David Barboza, Chinese artist Yue Minjun "makes legions of colorful smiling figures, has a walled-off suburban Beijing compound with an 8,000-square-foot home and studio." Back in December, writer Carol Vogel also pointed out that he creates "portraits of Chinese men look very much like himself."

We can't wait to see what the paper of record says in two more weeks.

Bigger smiles after the jump!