Sold to benefit Amnesty International | Vendu au profit d'Amnesty International
Weiwei Ai
Plate with Flowers
Auction Closed
December 6, 07:14 PM GMT
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 EUR
Lot Details
Description
Weiwei Ai
b.1957
Plate with Flowers
porcelain
45 x 45 x 6,5 cm ; 17 ¾ x 17 ¾ x 2 9/16 in.
Executed in 2014, this work is a unique variation from a total production of 204 similar works.
Sotheby’s will share part of its Buyer's Premium on the sale of this Lot to the Amnesty International France association to support its actions.
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Weiwei Ai
n.1957
Plate with Flowers
porcelaine
45 x 45 x 6,5 cm ; 17 ¾ x 17 ¾ x 2 9/16 in.
Exécutée en 2014, cette oeuvre est une variation unique d'une production de 204 oeuvres identiques.
Sotheby's rétrocèdera une partie de sa Commission d’Achat sur la vente de ce Lot à l’association Amnesty International France pour soutenir ses actions.
Collection of the artist, Portugal
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Collection de l'artiste, Portugal
This porcelain plate uses the motif of bouquets of flowers, which were placed daily in a bicycle basket outside Ai Weiwei’s studio in Caochangdi in northeast Beijing when he was under soft detention and constant surveillance.
On 3 April 2011, Ai Weiwei was taken away by plainclothes police at the Beijing Capital International Airport and illegally detained at an undisclosed location for 81 days. Upon release on bail, he was deprived of his passport for four years.
During this period Ai photographed the daily bouquet and shared it on social media, deliberately in front of surveillance cameras.
The porcelain plate with double-sided glaze is made with the highest level of fire techniques and painting skills, which are the same as the Jingdezhen imperial kilns in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.