- 316
Ai Weiwei
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
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Description
- Ai Weiwei
- Untitled (Pair of Chairs)
- inscirbed in Chinese on the underside
- Qing dynasty wooden chairs, in two parts
- (i) 104.1 by 55.9 by 43.1cm.; 41 by 22 by 17in.
- (ii) 94 by 53.2 by 44.5cm.; 37 by 21 by 17.5in.
- Executed in 2007.
Provenance
Carolina Nitsch, New York
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Exhibited
Kassel, Documenta 12, Fairytale, 2007, no. L016 and L023
New York, Carolina Nitsch Project Room, Fairytale Chairs and New York Photographs, 2012
New York, Carolina Nitsch Project Room, Fairytale Chairs and New York Photographs, 2012
Literature
Urs Meile (ed.), Ai Weiwei Works 2004-2007, Luzern, 2007, pp. 158-163, illustrated in colour
Condition
Colour:
The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate.
Condition:
This work is in very good and original condition. All surface irregularities are in keeping with the artist's choice of medium.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Ai Weiwei’s venture Fairytale, for Documenta XII (2007) in Kassel, Germany was comprised of three separate but related projects. One element was the installation of 1001 Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) chairs that would become ‘stations of reflection’ in and around the city available to all. This traditional yoke-back style chair stems from the artist’s childhood memories of his family’s exile in remote northern China. His father, Ai Qing, a prominent poet, fell out of favour with the communist party during the Anti-Rightest Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s. One of the objects his family was allowed to keep was a Qing Dynasty chair.
Ai Wei Wei has explained: “[t]he number 1001 is one person more than one thousand. The significance is to try to emphasize individuals rather than groups. To me it would suggest and relate to collected individuals rather than a group. It represents individual consciousness and awareness.”