Chinese painter Ye Yongqing ‘deeply influenced’ by Belgian artist who accuses him of copying

Respected Chinese painter Ye Yongqing says he is trying to get in touch with a Belgian artist who has accused him of copying works he did three decades ago.

Christian Silvain, a 69-year-old painter and sculptor based in Kluisbergen, has claimed Ye copied several of his paintings – and that one of the alleged copies sold for 100 times more than the original.

So far, 61-year-old Ye – an oil painter whose buyers are said to include Bill Gates and Rupert Murdoch – has not denied the accusation made by Silvain in recent weeks.

“We are trying to contact this artist. He is one of the artists that have influenced me deeply,” Ye was quoted as saying by Chinese newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily.

Calls to the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, where Ye studied and has worked as a professor, went unanswered on Sunday.

Silvain first made the allegation in Belgian media last month, saying several of Ye’s paintings used an identical style and symbols to his works.

He said he found out about Ye’s paintings after friends saw an exhibition of the Chinese artist’s work in Germany. He claimed the paintings of his that were copied were done in 1985 and 1986, while Ye only started making similar works in the 1990s.

Silvain told Belgian broadcaster RTBF that one of Ye’s pieces sold for €600,000 (US$681,600) at auction house Christie’s – while the painting he alleges Ye’s was based on went for €6,000 (US$6,800).

China’s art copy capital struggles to change its reputation

The allegations have rocked the art world in China, where plagiarism and art reproductions have long been an issue.

A well-known Chinese painter who also studied at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute said the artist community was “shocked”.

“This is undoubtedly copying,” said the painter, who declined to be named.

Art critic Jia Fangzhou said Ye should take responsibility for his actions.

“And because of his status and influence in China’s contemporary art scene, the entire circle is humiliated – as are the critics who have spoken positively about him and those who voted for him in competitions,” Jia wrote in an opinion piece in official newspaper Art News of China.

Ye, who also represents up-and-coming artists in China, is known for his paintings of birds and hit the headlines in 2010 when one of his artworks fetched 250,000 yuan (US$37,300) at auction.

His works have been exhibited internationally, including at the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Singapore Art Museum. Buyers of his works are said to include Microsoft co-founder Gates, media mogul Murdoch and Taiwanese businessman and collector Lin Mingzhe.

Ye is not the first Chinese artist to be accused of copying in recent years. Last April, Chinese art professor Fan Yu was sacked from the Xian Academy of Fine Arts after he was found to have copied the work of British illustrator Russell Cobb for a poster series that had won him an international award. He was stripped of the Red Dot: Best of the Best award following the revelation.