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Ai Weiwei

Chinese · b. 1957 · Painter, Sculptor

Ai Weiwei is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's… (Wikipedia)

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238lots offered2013–2026years recorded86%sold (204)$6.3kSign up free to seemedian price

2 works by Ai Weiwei with an auction history (offered more than once) →

2 works by Ai Weiwei coming up at auction · bid with the house ↓

Record prices

  1. Ai Weiwei, Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads, 2010, bronzeCircle of Animals / Zodiac HeadsPhillips · £3,442,500≈ $5,409,200≈ €4,858,709Sign up to see
  2. Ai Weiwei, Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads, 2010, gold-plated bronzeCircle of Animals/Zodiac HeadsPhillips · £2,882,500≈ $4,426,944≈ €3,907,966Sign up to see
  3. Ai Weiwei, Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads, 2010, gilded bronze on artist's huanghuali veneered wood basesCircle of Animals/Zodiac HeadsPhillips · $3,370,000≈ £2,584,951≈ €3,028,125Sign up to see

Ai Weiwei’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

Coming up at auction

2 in forthcoming sales · bid with the house

Listed from the auction houses’ own websites; estimates are the houses’ own, not results.

ArtSell has recorded 236 auction results for Ai Weiwei between 2013 and 2026, of which 204 sold (86%). A further 2 lots were offered at auction without a published result. Recorded sale prices range from $166Sign up free to see to $5.4MSign up free to see. The highest price recorded is $5.4MSign up free to see for Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads at Phillips in June 2015. The most common medium is sculpture (60 lots). Most results come from Phillips (128), Wright (22) and Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (21).

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  1. Ai Weiwei, Color Cup, 2006, glazed ceramic
    Color Cup, 2006
    Sculpture
    61 1/4 x 33 1/4 x 33 1/4 in. (155.6 x 84.5 x 84.5 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 91
    $64,500≈ £48,672≈ €56,564Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $70,000–100,000View at Phillips ↗
  2. Ai Weiwei, Artist's Hand, 2017, electroplated rhodium on cast urethane resin
    Artist's Hand, 2017
    Sculpture
    5 x 4 x 4 in. (12.7 x 10.2 x 10.2 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 51
    $3,870≈ £2,889≈ €3,368Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $4,000–6,000View at Phillips ↗
  3. Ai Weiwei, Odyssey, 2017, offset lithograph on paper
    Odyssey, 2017
    Lithograph · Paper
    36 h x 24 w in (91 x 61 cm)
    Rago Auctions · · Lot 321
    $192≈ £142≈ €166Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $500–View at Rago Auctions ↗
  4. Ai Weiwei, $2,000 REWARD (Deluxe Wanted Poster), 2014, pigment print in colors on Canson Rag Photographique
    $2,000 REWARD (Deluxe Wanted Poster), 2014
    Photograph
    8 h x 6⅜ w in (20 x 16 cm)
    Wright · · Lot 293
    $6,400≈ £4,752≈ €5,545Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $6,000–View at Wright ↗
  5. Ai Weiwei, Finger (from the Ex-Votos series), 2018, wood
    Finger (from the Ex-Votos series), 2018
    wood · Panel
    12¾ h x 4¼ w x 3 d in (32 x 11 x 8 cm)
    Wright · · Lot 224
    $4,480≈ £3,316≈ €3,907Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $4,000–View at Wright ↗
  6. Ai Weiwei, Study of Perspective in Glass (Cobalt Blue), 2018-2019, Cast Murano glass multiple, contained in the original velvet-lined grey cloth-covered box
    Study of Perspective in Glass (Cobalt Blue), 2018-2019
    Multiple · ed. 21/100
    4 7/8 x 3 1/2 x 4 1/8 in. (12.4 x 8.9 x 10.5 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 64
    $5,160≈ £3,921≈ €4,550Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $4,000–6,000View at Phillips ↗
  7. Ai Weiwei, Odyssey, 2017, offset lithograph on paper
    Odyssey, 2017
    Lithograph · Paper
    36 h x 24 w in (91 x 61 cm)
    Rago Auctions · · Lot 290
    $384≈ £287≈ €332Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $500–View at Rago Auctions ↗
  8. Ai Weiwei, Handcuffs, 2012, huali wood
    Handcuffs, 2012
    huali wood · Panel
    1 h x 16 w x 5 d in (3 x 41 x 13 cm)
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 180
    $19,200≈ £14,348≈ €16,639Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $10,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
  9. Ai Weiwei, Glass Vase, 2023, Cast translucent red glass vase, contained in the original wooden presentation box with printed artist's name and title
    Glass Vase, 2023
    Print (other) · ed. 239/300
    19.1 x 21.6 x 21.6 cm (7 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 in.) box 29.9 x 29.9 x 30 cm (11 3/4 x 11 3/4 x 11 3/4 in.)
    Phillips · · Lot 191
    £2,451≈ $3,289≈ €2,836Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £1,500–2,000View at Phillips ↗
  10. Ai Weiwei, Takeaway Box, 2015, marble
    Takeaway Box, 2015
    Sculpture
    2 h x 7⅛ w x 4¾ d in (5 x 18 x 12 cm)
    Rago Auctions · · Lot 317
    $14,080≈ £10,422≈ €12,032Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $20,000–View at Rago Auctions ↗
Also offered, result not published (2)

Lots by Ai Weiwei that were offered at auction where the house did not publish whether they sold. Not counted in any statistics.

Ai Weiwei paintings (20)Ai Weiwei acrylic paintings (8)Ai Weiwei works on paper (3)Ai Weiwei prints (97)Ai Weiwei lithographs (22)Ai Weiwei screenprints (30)Ai Weiwei multiples (39)Ai Weiwei photographs (9)Ai Weiwei sculpture (60)

Ai Weiwei: quick facts

What is the highest price paid for a work by Ai Weiwei at auction?

$5,409,200Sign up free to see, for Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads at Phillips (June 2015) — the highest price in ArtSell’s records.

What is a typical auction price for Ai Weiwei?

The median sale price is $6.3kSign up free to see across 202 priced sales. Prices vary by medium, size and date — see the price chart & statistics.

How many works by Ai Weiwei have sold at auction?

204 of 236 recorded lots sold between 2013 and 2026. 2 further lots were offered with no published result and are not counted.

Which auction houses sell Ai Weiwei?

Phillips, Wright and Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) account for the most recorded results. Phillips · Wright · Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA)

Ai Weiwei signature

91 catalogued lots by Ai Weiwei record a signature line. The most common placement is on the reverse (50% of lots that state a placement). Most often: signed.

Placement

  • on the reverse4
  • lower right3
  • on the base1

Form

  • signed73
  • signed and dated13
  • signed in pencil3
  • with seals2
  • Signed 'Ai Weiwei' on the certificate of authenticity affixed to the reverse — On Attersee, Phillips, Jun 23, 2026
  • Signed lower right: Ai Weiwei; editioned lower left — Everyone is a Dragon, Leonard Joel, Apr 16, 2025
  • Signed, numbered and dated "WeiAi . 2009 . 1/18" on the reverse — Hanging Man (Gold), Phillips, Sep 25, 2024

Ai Weiwei signature: all forms and examples →

About Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly critical of the Chinese government and its stance on democracy and human rights. He investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan schools corruption scandal following the collapse of "tofu-dreg schools" in the 2008 earthquake. In April 2011, Ai Weiwei was arrested at Beijing Capital International Airport for "economic crimes", and detained for 81 days without charge. Ai Weiwei emerged as a figure in Chinese cultural development, an architect of Chinese modernism, and a prominent political commentator.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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