Auction Record for Ai Weiwei's Zodiac Heads in London
- February 15, 2015 19:30
A near-billion-dollar two weeks of Impressionist, modern, post-war, and contemporary art sales ended in London with an auction record for Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei.
Ai Weiwei's famous group of gold-plated bronze animals heads brought 2.9 million pounds (US$4.5 million) to lead the sale at Phillips. The price for the group, which was expected to bring 2 to 3 million pounds, far surpassed the artist's previous record at auction of $1.2 million, set April 5, 2014, at Sotheby's in Hong Kong.
A smaller version of his 10-foot creations that have toured the world, "Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads" from 2010 comes in the form of 12 animal heads of the ancient Chinese zodiac, placed on separate pedestals.
The heads are derived from zodiac figures that once adorned the gardens at the Beijing palace of Emperor Qianlong, which was looted in 1860 by French and British troops. Seven of the 12 original zodiac heads are still extant, with five repatriated to China and two whose ownership is contested.
Ai Weiwei's work will be shown in a solo exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in September.
![Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640), After Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) (Italian [Venetian], c. 1488–1576), Rape of Europa, 1628–29. Oil on canvas, 71 7/8 x 79 3/8 in.](/images/c/e2/2e/Jan20_Rape_of_Europa100x100_c.jpg "Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640), After Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) (Italian [Venetian], c. 1488–1576), Rape of Europa, 1628–29. Oil on canvas, 71 7/8 x 79 3/8 in.")
