Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Who's Selling Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds at Sotheby's?

January 24, 2011 by Marion Maneker

Colin Gleadell reports that there’s a lot of in Sotheby’s Contemporary art sale in London this February of Ai Weiwei’s hand-painted sunflower seeds that were part of the Tate Modern exhibition where the artist filled the Turbine Hall with porcelain sunflower seeds made in China. Since that time, Ai’s Danish Gallery has offered an unspecified amount of the seeds for €300,000. There was no word on a sale.

That was in November. Now Gleadell reports:

a 100-kilogram pile of seeds by Ai Weiwei (below) is to be offered with an estimate of £80,000 to £120,000. Apparently, the seeds are valued by weight, so, if it sells at the mid estimate, that would make the seeds worth £1,000 pounds a kilogram, and the Tate installation a whopping £150 million.

The question is who has consigned the lot to Sotheby’s? Sotheby’s lists a provenance that begins with the Danish Gallery selling the seeds in November.  But the auction estimate is far below the gallery’s asking price (unless the quantities were different) suggesting that the consignor is taking a great risk in offering the lot. Sotheby’s has made it the first lot in the sale. By auction convention, that suggests they expect lots of interest and bidding that could drive the price well beyond the estimate range.

Market News: First Ai Weiwei Seeds on the Market (Telegraph)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • The Great Sunflower Seed Mystery: How Much? What Price?The Great Sunflower Seed Mystery: How Much? What Price?
  • Ai Weiwei Pays His DebtAi Weiwei Pays His Debt
  • Tate Buys Pile of Sunflower SeedsTate Buys Pile of Sunflower Seeds
  • Ai Weiwei Swamped with Donations for Tax BillAi Weiwei Swamped with Donations for Tax Bill
  • Vernissage TV: Ai Weiwei ArchitectureVernissage TV: Ai Weiwei Architecture
  • Ai Weiwei's Tax Issues OutlinedAi Weiwei's Tax Issues Outlined

Filed Under: Artists Tagged With: Ai Weiwei

About Marion Maneker

LiveArt

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor
 

Loading Comments...