Private Collection, France
Acquired by the present owner from the above

This work is in good and sound condition overall. There is evidence of wear and handling, particularly toward the edges where there are some scattered chips to the marble, particularly at the upper left corner of the reverse, where there is a 2 inch chip in the marble. There is a stain in the marble along the left side edge, which may be inherent to the marble 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

'It interests me to try and create something with no purpose to it; but to make art also creates a purpose." Ai Weiwei ( 'Where Architects Fear to Trend', Art India, April 2008, p. 59)

Throughout his career, Ai Weiwei has sought to reconcile China's artistic legacy with its contemporary art practice, exploring traditional techniques in a contemporary language to revive the skills that once made China's artists and craftsman the envy of the world. In an attempt to speak out against the near-eradication of these traditions that took place during the second half of the twentieth century, many of Ai’s works are made using materials and techniques which have been refined in China and passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, tradition and precedent is a theme that dominates Ai’s oeuvre. 

Sotheby’s is delighted to present a group of four works that evidence Ai Weiwei’s range as an artist and his ability to strike the deepest chords of Chinese contemporary culture through his impressive and often whimsical sculptures and installations. Such is the case of Untitled from 2010 (lot 506). In a Duchampian way, Ai appropriates the bicycle, the principle means of transport for China, and creates something entirely new. By combining two bicycles, without handles or seats, he transforms one of the most utilitarian commodities for present day China, into a useless object. 

Ai’s beautifully crafted Marble door (lot 505) and Fairytale (lot 507), both address issues of historical preservation of Chinese craft.  By reconfiguring these objects—transforming marble, "high" and expensive material into an ordinary door, and preserving Ming and Qing dynasty furniture and elevating it into “high art” within the context of an art gallery or museum—Ai Weiwei once again transforms the purpose of these objects while making a powerful statement about Chinese art and tradition within a contemporary context. Finally, Dust to Dust (lot 508) belongs to another fascinating example of Ai Weiwei’s investigation of the symbolic destruction and recreation of Chinese culture. A simple clear glass jar is filled with ground Neolithic pots. Whether these pots have or have not been filled with real 🐠fragments of ancient earthenware, Ai’s purpose is to reinvent China’s past through these remains, and returning them to another and new state of artistry. In the same way that Ai handles the destruction of the bicycle for the creation of a new object, these ancient Neolithic pots are renewed into a contemporary object that preserves its decorative and cultural value for posterity.