For a while, artist Christian Silvain had to stand by while Chinese artist Ye Yongqing received recognition for his artwork, which he had copied from Silvain. But since August 2023, this has changed.
The Chinese artist who had copied Silvain’s work has now been convicted of plagiarism by a Chinese court in Beijing. Ye Yongqing must pay substantial damages and also apologize in one of China’s largest newspapers. This situation is an unprecedented reversal, especially considering that even Bill Gates owns some artworks created by the Chinese artist. Ye’s copied artworks were even sold at well-known auctions such as Sotheby’s at the time.
UPDATE SAT. 11 JAN. 2025: Christian Silvain has achieved another significant legal victory in his prolonged battle against Chinese artist Ye Yongqing, after the Chinese artist appealed the decision. Following the landmark ruling in August 2023 by a Beijing court that found Ye guilty of plagiarism, the Chinese court of appeal has upheld the decision.
The court of appeal confirmed the earlier verdict, reinforcing the findings that Ye Yongqing had systematically copied Silvain’s distinctive artistic style for over three decades. The ruling reaffirms Ye’s obligation to pay €650,000 in damages to Silvain and to issue a public apology in one of China’s largest newspapers. This decision underscores the original judgment’s validity and solidifies Silvain’s rightful claim to his unique artistic legacy.
Ye Yongqing, now famous in China and abroad, has been painting in exactly the same style as Silvain since he visited an exhibition in Paris in 1990. For three decades, Chinese artist Ye Yongqing has been making paintings that are almost exact copies of Silvain’s work. Moreover, he makes good money from it: a painting made by Yongqing was sold at auctions at well-known auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s for sums of up to 400,000 euros.
Jos Depypere has compiled an extensive dossier on Ye Yongqing. The file shows that Silvain was actually the first to begin making paintings in his famous style. “Silvain was six years earlier. We can clearly prove that. We therefore think that Yongqing attended an exhibition of Silvain’s in Paris or obtained a catalog. Only after that did he start working in the same style. Meanwhile, he has already made millions by copying Silvain’s paintings. By the way, he does not limit himself to copying entire works. Sometimes he only enlarges details. With one such painting, he has even exhibited in Brussels. Depypere’s file also shows that Yongqing copied the famous artist Pierre Alechinsky. “But he soon stopped doing that. Presumably Alechinsky’s entourage spoke to him about it.”
– Jos Depypere
Christian Silvain’s first exhibition in China took place in Shanghai in November 2019, organized by JIC Bookstore in collaboration with Galerie Jos Depypere. A second exhibition soon followed in Beijing.
After the world was hit with a worldwide lockdown in March 2020, its success experienced a slight downturn. Meanwhile, work continued on filing and working out the lawsuit in China.
In September 2023, Chinese judges had already found Ye Yongqing guilty of plagiarism, but the Chinese artist appealed the decision. As of January 2025 the Court of Appeal in China has upheld the earlier ruling and reaffirmed the sanctions. Ye is required to pay €650,000 in damages to Christian Silvain and must issue a public apology in one of China’s largest newspapers within ten days. Failure to comply could result in a prison sentence.
Christian Silvain has made it clear that the €650,000 in damages will be used to cover the extensive legal fees and compensate the many individuals who contributed to building the case. This includes his legal team, experts, and others who worked tirelessly to gather evidence and present a compelling argument in court. Silvain’s primary goal in pursuing this case was not financial gain but to achieve rightful recognition of the plagiarism and protect the integrity of his work.
With this verdict, Ye Yongqing’s reputation is irreparably damaged. This not only secures Silvain’s rightful recognition but also underscores the global importance of protecting artistic integrity.
Extra reading/information
- Artist page: Christian Silvain
- Event page: Exposition at Shanghai & Beijing, 2019
- Blog: First-ever exhibition off Christian Silvain in Shanghai & Beijing, China (2019)
- Het Nieuwsblad (2023, BE): "Hoe Belgische kunstenaar Christian Silvain na jarenlang lijdzaam toezien nu toch plagiaatpleger kan doen stoppen"
- VRT Nieuws (2023, BE): "Kunstenaar uit Kluisbergen haalt slag thuis in Chinese plagiaatzaak"
- VRT TV (2023, BE): "Kunstenaar Christian Silvain haalt slag thuis in Chinese plagiaatzaak: "Hij heeft mijn werk, mijn ziel gestolen""
- De Morgen (2023, BE): "Het geld verandert niks voor mij’: Belgische schilder wint historische plagiaatzaak in China"
- De Standaard (2023, BE): "Belgische kunstenaar Christian Silvain kan na jarenlang toezien nu toch Chinese plagiaatpleger stoppen"
- Het Laatste Nieuws (2023, BE): "Chinese kunstenaar kopieert voor 13 miljoen euro werken van Christian (72): “Als er geld mee gemoeid is, raakt mij dat”"
- VTM TV (2023, BE): "Chinees veroordeeld voor plagiaat van Belgische kunstenaar"
- Het Belang Van Limburg (2023, BE): "Belgische kunstenaar spant in China zaak aan voor plagiaat... én wint: “Ik heb eerherstel”"
- Gazet van Antwerpen (2023, BE): "Belgische kunstenaar Christian Silvain spant in China zaak aan voor plagiaat én wint: “Ik heb eerherstel”"
- RTBF (2023, BE): "Le peintre belge Christian Silvain gagne un procès pour plagiat contre un artiste chinois"
- Le Soir (2023, BE): "Un peintre belge gagne un procès pour plagiat en Chine"
- RTL (2023, BE): "Un peintre belge gagne son procès contre un plagieur chinois devenu millionnaire en copiant ses oeuvres"
- BRF (2023, BE): "Christian Silvain gewinnt Plagiatsprozess in China"
- Brussels Times (2023, BE): "Belgian painter wins plagiarism case in China"
- Belga News Agency (2023, EU): "Chinese artist convicted of plagiarising Belgian painter"
- News article (2023, CHINA): "终于出结果！叶帅被判抄袭西尔万，赔偿500万"
- De Volkskrant (2025, NL): Chinese kunstenaar moet 6,5 ton betalen voor plagiëren van Christian Silvain: ‘Kind van 3 kon het zien’"
- Het Laatste Nieuws (2025, BE): "Chinese kunstenaar (69) ook in beroep veroordeeld voor kopiëren van werk van Christian Silvain (74): “Dit is een historische uitspraak”'
- VRT Nieuws (2025, BE): "Chinese kunstenaar ook in beroep veroordeeld voor plagiaat van schilder Christian Silvain uit Kluisbergen: schadevergoeding van 650.000 euro"
- De Morgen (2025, BE): "Excuses en 650.000 euro schadevergoeding van copycat: ‘Historisch, ik ben wereldnieuws’"
- NPO Radio I (2025, NL): "Hoe de kunstwerken van Christian Silvain jarenlang werden gekopieerd door een Chinese kunstenaar"
- Nieuwsblad (2025, BE): "Chinese ‘kunstenaar’ nu ook in beroep veroordeeld voor plagiaat schilderijen van Christian: “Hij moet binnen 10 dagen 650.000 euro betalen”"
- De Telegraaf (2025, NL): "Chinese ’kunstenaar’ nu ook in beroep veroordeeld voor plagiaat schilderijen van Christian: ’Hij moet binnen 10 dagen 650.000 euro betalen’"
- Art Asia Pacific (2025, HK): "Renowned Chinese Artist Guilty of Plagiarism"
- Art Review (2025, UK): "Chinese artist Ye Yongqing loses plagiarism lawsuit
- ART News (2025, USA): "Chinese Court Orders Artist Ye Yongqing to Pay More than $670,000 for Plagiarism Scandal"
- Art Dependence Magazine (2025, BE): "Historic Victory: Belgian Artist Christian Silvain wins €650,000 Plagiarism Case in Chinese Court"
- Los Angeles Times (2025, USA): "The unimaginable losses of the L.A. firestorms: L.A. arts and culture this week"
- Noticias de Bueneventura y el mundo (2025): "Un tribunal chino ordena al artista Ye Yongqing pagar más de 670.000 dólares por escándalo de plagio"
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