Ai Weiwei's Zodiac sculptures, inspired by Jesuit creation, purchased by American billionaire
ARTNET | NEWS
By Sarah Cascone
Tech entrepreneur Sean Parker, founder of Napster and founding president of Facebook, was the buyer of Ai Weiwei's "Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads" (2010), which sold at Phillips London in February for $4.4 million, artnet News has learned. The gold-plated statues are each 28-inches tall, and depict the Chinese zodiac signs. The piece is based on a set of 18th century sculptures created by Jesuits for a fountain clock in Beijing's Summer Palace that was later looted, and references China's history of copying and cultural repatriation. [link]
By Sarah Cascone
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| Ai Weiwei's Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads (2010) Photo: Phillips |