Ai Weiwei 2015 Red Bicycle Bell with Printed Quotation, Green Lever, Unopened Art Object
Ai Weiwei 2015 Red Bicycle Bell with Printed Quotation, Green Lever, Unopened Art Object
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- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
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Duties and customs · View the estimate
A guide for this piece: about $16, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
The final figure is set by US Customs and depends on where the piece was made and the kind of object it is. Many antiques over a century old carry no ordinary duty; most jewellery and leather goods add a single-digit rate.
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Condition report
Mint
- Giftable
- Mint
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Honest Wear
- As Found
One Small Ring
Ai Weiwei's words ride on a bright red bell: a small act is worth a million thoughts. Playful to look at and useful on any bicycle, it carries a quiet call to act.
Best for: Ai Weiwei admirers, cyclists and anyone looking for a thoughtful small gift
Condition notes
Described as new and unopened. Not yet examined in hand.
Grades, ratings and commentary are given to the best of our ability, knowledge and experience, and condition remains partly a matter of personal perception. What we stand behind without qualification is authenticity, truthful description and provenance, to the best of our knowledge. How we grade
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A glossy red bicycle bell with a green lever, printed in white with Ai Weiwei's words "A small act is worth a million thoughts": a 2015 object by the artist, still sealed in its packaging.
The Piece
Ai Weiwei, born in Beijing in 1957, is among the most widely known artists alive, as celebrated for his activism as for his sculpture, installations and photographs. The bicycle runs through his work: in his Forever Bicycles installations hundreds of frames are joined into towering, shimmering structures, and for years he made a habit of leaving flowers in the basket of a bicycle outside his Beijing studio.
This bell turns that motif into something you can use. The dome is a deep, lacquer-bright red, the striker lever a fresh apple green, like a ripe fruit. Across the dome in clean white type run the artist's words and his name. It is a small, cheerful object with a serious idea at its heart: that a single act counts for more than a great deal of thinking.
It is described as bought at a museum in the United Kingdom and kept unopened since. It is a production object, not a signed or numbered edition.
Details
- Artist: Ai Weiwei
- Object: Bicycle bell, A small act is worth a million thoughts
- Year: 2015
- Material: Metal
- Diameter: About 5.8 cm (2.3 in), as stated
- Colour: Red dome, green lever, white text
- Edition: Not a numbered edition
- Signature: Printed name
- Condition: New, unopened
Condition
- Described as new and unopened.
- The photograph is a catalogue image of the design; the sealed packaging is not pictured.
Condition grade S (unused, as new) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Offered as the Ai Weiwei object the page describes; we present that as given. Wipe with a soft dry cloth; keep away from damp to protect the metal.
Delivery from Japan
Packed by hand in Japan with acid-free tissue and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything you wish to know before you buy, and see our published policy.
Considered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally. Browse what has just arrived, or read our guide to Japanese condition ranks before you choose.
Concierge
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Collectors also search: Ai Weiwei bicycle bell · Ai Weiwei A small act is worth a million thoughts · Ai Weiwei museum object
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