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

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Circle of Animals / Zodiac HeadsPhillips · Jun 2015£3,442,500≈ $5,409,200≈ €4,858,709Sign up to see
Circle of Animals/Zodiac HeadsPhillips · Feb 2015£2,882,500≈ $4,426,944≈ €3,907,966Sign up to see
Circle of Animals/Zodiac HeadsPhillips · May 2017$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).

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Longest side– Editioned With imagesReset

236 results · page 5 of 6

Artist's Hand, 2017
Multiple · Board
5 x 3 3/4 x 4 1/4 in. (12.7 x 9.5 x 10.8 cm)
Phillips · Apr 23, 2019 · Lot 329
$4,375≈ £3,363≈ €3,891Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,500–3,500View at Phillips ↗
Oil Spills, 2006
Sculpture
part 1) 3 x 100.5 x 95 cm (1 1/8 x 39 5/8 x 37 3/8 in.) part 2) 3 x 73.5 x 69 cm (1 1/8 x 28 7/8 x 27 1/8 in.) part 3) 2 x 96 x 89.5 cm (0 3/4 x 37 3/4 x 35 1/4 in.) part 4) 2.5 x 95 x 95 cm (0 7/8 x 37 3/8 x 37 3/8 in.) part 5) 3 x 98 x 101 cm (1 1/8 x 38 5/8 x 39 3/4 in.) part 6) 2 x 46 x 39 cm (0 3/4 x 18 1/8 x 15 3/8 in.) part 7) 2.5 x 46 x 47.5 cm (0 7/8 x 18 1/8 x 18 3/4 in.) part 8) 2 x 94.5 x 96 cm (0 3/4 x 37 1/4 x 37 3/4 in.) part 9) 3 x 97 x 92 cm (1 1/8 x 38 1/4 x 36 1/4 in.) part 10) 4.8 x 130.5 x 130.5 cm (1 7/8 x 51 3/8 x 51 3/8 in.)
Phillips · Apr 11, 2019 · Lot 23
£93,750≈ $122,550≈ €108,798Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £70,000–90,000View at Phillips ↗
Coca-Cola Vase, 2014
painted Han dynasty vase (206 BC-220 AD)
35 x 50 x 27 cm (13 3/4 x 19 5/8 x 10 5/8 in.)
Phillips · Mar 7, 2019 · Lot 17
£325,000≈ $426,530≈ €378,431Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £250,000–350,000View at Phillips ↗
Thin Line, 2017
Acrylic · ed. 37/100
50 x 50 x 25 cm (19 5/8 x 19 5/8 x 9 7/8 in.)
Phillips · Jan 24, 2019 · Lot 263
£8,125≈ $10,581≈ €9,330Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £3,000–5,000View at Phillips ↗
Structure, 2009
wood, string and metal · Panel
structure 76 x 107 x 85 cm (29 7/8 x 42 1/8 x 33 1/2 in.) overall 188 x 107 x 85 cm (74 x 42 1/8 x 33 1/2 in.)
Phillips · Dec 6, 2018 · Lot 223
£16,250≈ $20,742≈ €18,273Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £12,000–18,000View at Phillips ↗
Artist's Hand, 2017
Sculpture · ed. edition of 1000
10.1(L) x 10.1(W) x 12.7(H) cm
Ravenel · Dec 2, 2018 · Lot 329
NT$108,000≈ $3,504≈ £2,756≈ €3,084Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. NT$90,000–180,000View at Ravenel ↗
The Artist's Hand
Wright · Oct 25, 2018 · Lot 185
$5,313≈ £4,120≈ €4,654Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–View at Wright ↗
Artist's Hand, 2017
Multiple · Board
5 x 3 3/4 x 4 1/4 in. (12.7 x 9.5 x 10.8 cm)
Phillips · Oct 17, 2018 · Lot 292
$8,125≈ £6,198≈ €7,047Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,500–3,500View at Phillips ↗
The Artist's Hand
Wright · Jul 19, 2018 · Lot 207
$6,875≈ £5,298≈ €5,933Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–View at Wright ↗
Artist’s Hand, 2017
Multiple · Board
12.7 x 10.2 x 10.2 cm (5 x 4 x 4 in.)
Phillips · Jun 7, 2018 · Lot 237
£6,875≈ $9,234≈ €7,801Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £1,000–1,500View at Phillips ↗

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 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.