ai weiwei

Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds Sell Above Estimate

This week's Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening sale in London started off with a bang when the first lot, Ai Weiwei's sunflower seeds, came up for sale. The Chinese artist generated headlines around the world when he installed 100 million ceramic sunflowers seeds in the Tate Modern in London and art watchers were curious to see how the art would sell. The first 100-kilogram pile of seeds was estimated to bring in £80,000 to £120,000 but sold for sold for £349,250 ($559,394) or around £3.50 per seed.

Each porcelain sunflower seed was individually hand made and painted by specialists working in small-scale workshops in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen. The Sotheby's listing suggests that the piece can be installed either in a mound as shown above or smoothed out into a carpet-like experience. There will be a total of ten lots sold from this work.

Tags: ai weiwei, andy warhol, Gerhard Richter

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First Of Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei generated headlines around the world when he installed 100 million ceramic sunflowers seeds in the Tate Modern in London. The exhibit, which started last October, initially was open for guests to frolic through the seeds. Shortly after it opened health concerns about dust led the museum to restrict access to the exhibit. But if you want to run your hands through the seeds, you will soon be able to buy a 100-kilogram pile of seeds at Sotheby's in London on February 15. The first pile of seeds carries an estimate of £80,000 to £120,000.

Each porcelain sunflower seed was individually hand made and painted by specialists working in small-scale workshops in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen. The Sotheby's listing suggests that the piece can be installed either in a mound as shown above or smoothed out into a carpet-like experience. There will be a total of ten lots sold from this work. The Telegraph does a little math, figuring that if the seeds are valued by weight and the lot sells at the mid estimate, the Tate installation would be worth a total of £150 million.

Tags: ai weiwei, sunflower seeds, tate modern

Continue reading “First Of Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds Up For Auction”

For Collectors from Sotheby's

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Sotheby's has a new application for the iPhone and iPad. Whether you're an experienced or new collector, relying on this auction house's app is one of the best ways to keep informed about the art market, but more importantly about artists and art trends. Go to the iTunes App store, dowload the free app and here's what you will get: the latest podcasts, a chance to browse catalogues for upcoming sales and view auction results. If you are interested in placing a bid, you can search upcoming lots, zoom in for a closer look, and leave an absentee bid. To access either Sotheby's new app or website, be sure to log in first.

The app can be particularly informative. Its main attraction right now is a video of the opening at Tate Modern for Frieze Week where Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's installation was featured. Visitors were invited to walk on 100 million individually made porcelain sunflower seeds. If you were puzzled by newspaper reports about this installation -- referencing traditional techniques with a contemporary message --the video makes it clear. The artist was referring to the time when Mao was considered the sun and the Chinese people were "sunflower seeds." (Incidentally, now visitors have to view the installation from a bridge as health officials worried that walking on the porcelain "seeds" created too much unhealthy dust.") Relying on a video like this one gives you a sense of what is happening at the biggest event in the UK art calendar and not just prices paid at auction.

Also, keep in mind there's a new addition to Sotheby's.com. BidNow is an online bidding service available for all auctions worldwide. You can access Sotheby's mobile site from almost any web-enabled handset, including the Blackberry, Android, iPhone, iPad among others.

Tags: ai weiwei, art catalogues, art market, bidding at auctions, ipad app, ipad apps, iphone apps, sothebys