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In the News

The art of Ai Weiwei

A collection of popular works of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who was arrested by Chinese police on Sunday, April 3, 2011

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"Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads," the first major public sculpture installation by contemporary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, formally opened on May 4 at the historic Pulitzer Fountain in New York.

Stan Honda / AFP/Getty

The installation includes a dozen monumental bronze heads depicting the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Weiwei was not there for the opening. He has been missing since early last April when he was taken away by Chinese authorities.

The installation includes a dozen monumental bronze heads depicting the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Weiwei was not there for the opening. He has been missing since early last April when he was taken away by Chinese authorities.

Stan Honda / AFP/Getty

An animal head from 'Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads.'

An animal head from "Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads."

Stan Honda / AFP/Getty

The bronze heads — 10 feet tall on their pedestals, and 800 pounds — are oversize versions of the collection of bronze zodiac-animal heads looted by French and British troops from Beijing’s Old Summer Palace in 1860, during the Second Opium War.

The bronze heads — 10 feet tall on their pedestals, and 800 pounds — are oversize versions of the collection of bronze zodiac-animal heads looted by French and British troops from Beijing’s Old Summer Palace in 1860, during the Second Opium War.

Stan Honda / AFP/Getty

'Mei Le,' 2007.

"Mei Le," 2007.

/ Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne

'Forever,' 2003.

"Forever," 2003.

/ Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne

'Boomerang,' 2006, an installation at Queensland Art Gallery in Australia.

"Boomerang," 2006, an installation at Queensland Art Gallery in Australia.

/ Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne

'Kippe,' 2006. The work was created with iron wood from dismantled temples of the Qing Dynasty.

"Kippe," 2006. The work was created with iron wood from dismantled temples of the Qing Dynasty.

/ Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne

'Coca Cola,' 2010. The pottery is from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD).

"Coca Cola," 2010. The pottery is from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD).

/ Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne

Untitled (shoe and book), 1986. Shoe and book 43 x 24 x 16 centimeters. Private collection

Untitled (shoe and book), 1986. Shoe and book 43 x 24 x 16 centimeters. Private collection

/ Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne

'Table with Two Legs on the Wall,' 2009. The table is from Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

"Table with Two Legs on the Wall," 2009. The table is from Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

/ Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne

'Grapes,' 2008. The work is built from 17 stools from the Quing Dymasty (1644-1911).

"Grapes," 2008. The work is built from 17 stools from the Quing Dymasty (1644-1911).

/ Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne

'Flowers,' 2007.

"Flowers," 2007.

/ Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne

'Flowers,' 2007.

"Flowers," 2007.

/ Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne

'Pillar,' 2006. The installation at Austria's Kunsthaus Graz includes 16 porcelain pillars.

"Pillar," 2006. The installation at Austria's Kunsthaus Graz includes 16 porcelain pillars.

/ Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne

'Oil Spills,' 2006.

"Oil Spills," 2006.

/ Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne

Ai Weiwei: 'Template,' 2007. The work is made of 1,001 wooden doors and windows from destroyed Ming and Qing Dynasty houses (1368-1911).

Ai Weiwei: "Template," 2007. The work is made of 1,001 wooden doors and windows from destroyed Ming and Qing Dynasty houses (1368-1911).

/ Courtesy of the artist; Leister Foundation, Switzerland; Erlenmeyer Stiftung, Switzerland and Galerie Urs

Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei speaks during an interview at his studio in Beijing on March 1, 2010.

Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei speaks during an interview at his studio in Beijing on March 1, 2010.

GRACE LIANG / REUTERS

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

epa03708924 Franziska (C) wears a helmet and carries a shield during the recreation of The Battle of the Teutoburg Museum in Bramsche, Germany, 20 May 2013. The everyday life of Romans and the Germanic people is depicted at Museum Park Kalkriese during the Romans and Germanic people days. EPA/Friso Gentsch

Photos of the day

Battle of Teutoburg Forest reenactment, Mars Curiosity rover drilling, massive tornado strikes Moore, Oklahoma and more.

A Burrowing owl tries to perch on a protective rope in a public park in Cooper City, Fla. Monday, May 20, 2013 as rain falls. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Fun and fascinating creatures around the world.

ANNAPOLIS, MD - MAY 20: The Herndon Monument Climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the United States Naval Academy. The plebes climb to the top of the lard-covered 21 foot high monument and remove the 'dixie cup' hat at the top replacing it with an upperclassman's hat. After completing this, the freshmen are called 'fourth class midshipmen.' This class completed the task in 1 hour 32 minutes and 43 seconds. The hat was placed by Patrick Lien from Orlando. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

The Herndon Climb

The Herndon Monument climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the U.S. Naval Academy.

This combination of Associated Press photos shows left, a neighborhood in Moore, Okla., in ruins on Tuesday, May 4, 1999, after a tornado flattened many houses and buildings in central Oklahoma, and right, flattened houses in Moore on Monday, May 20, 2013. Monday's powerful tornado in suburban Oklahoma City loosely followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the region in May 1999. (AP Photo)

Okla. tornado loosely followed path of 1999 twister

Monday’s powerful tornado in suburban Oklahoma City loosely followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the area in May 1999.

Lea Bessinger salvages a picture of Jesus as she and her son Josh Bessinger sort through the rubble of the elder Bessinger's tornado-ravaged home Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Okla. A huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb Monday, flattening an entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Tornado near Oklahoma City causes more damage

Rescue workers are searching for survivors after a twister carved a long path of destruction in a suburb of Oklahoma City. It was part of the...

FILE - In this undated publicity file photo, members of the Doors, from left, John Densmore, Robbie Krieger, Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison, pose for a portrait. Manzarek, the keyboardist who was a founding member of The Doors, has died at 74. Publicist Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald says in a news release that Manzarek died Monday, May 20, 2013, at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, surrounded by his family. (AP Photo, File)

Ray Manzarek, founding member of the Doors, dies at 74

Manzarek co-founded the Doors after meeting then-poet Jim Morrison in California. The band went on to become one of the most successful rock-and-roll...

US actress Rosario Dawson smiles on May 20, 2013 as she arrives for the screening of the film 'Wara No Tate' (Shield of Straw) presented in Competition at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. Cannes, one of the world's top film festivals, opened on May 15 and will climax on May 26 with awards selected by a jury headed this year by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLIALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images

Eye on entertainment

Rosario Dawson, Alec Baldwin, Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Bow Wow, Amy Poehler and more.

A man walks on sulphur and mineral salt formations near Dallol in the Danakil Depression, northern Ethiopia April 22, 2013. The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is one of the hottest and harshest environments on earth, with an average annual temperature of 94 degrees Fahrenheit (34.4 Celsius). For centuries, merchants have travelled there with caravans of camels to collect salt from the surface of the vast desert basin. The mineral is extracted and shaped into slabs, then loaded onto the animals before being transported back across the desert so that it can be sold around the country. Picture taken April 22, 2013. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (ETHIOPIA - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

ATTENTION EDITORS: PICTURE 2 OF 30 FOR PACKAGE 'ETHIOPIA'S ANCIENT SALT TRAIL'
SEARCH 'DANAKIL DEPRESSION' FOR ALL

Ethiopia’s salt trail

For centuries, merchants have traveled to Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression with caravans of camels to collect salt from the surface of the vast desert basin. The mineral is extracted...

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Related Stories

Detention Ai Weiwei overshadows opening of sculpture exhibit

Detention Ai Weiwei overshadows opening of sculpture exhibit

NEW YORK — New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was present, in the rain on Grand Army Plaza, for the opening of the sculpture installation “Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads,” by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. Bill T. Jones, the choreographer, was there, as well as artist Julian Schnabel and Agnes Gund, philanthropist and former president of the Museum of Modern Art.

Opinion: China’s brutal repression

Just before the Beijing Olympics in 2008, a group of young Chinese activists was evacuated to the United States for safety reasons. Chinese officials were harassing and detaining people they thought might embarrass them during the Olympics. Three of the activists flew to Philadelphia that summer and slept on mattresses on my dining room floor.

China: Ai Weiwei held for ‘economic crimes’

China: Ai Weiwei held for ‘economic crimes’

BEIJING — The Chinese government on Thursday confirmed it is holding the missing artist Ai Weiwei, who has been incommunicado since police seized him Sunday at Beijing’s airport while other officers raided his art studio.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei arrested in ongoing government crackdown

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei arrested in ongoing government crackdown

BEIJING — Ai Weiwei, one of China’s most prominent artists and an outspoken critic of the communist regime, was taken from Beijing’s airport by security agents Sunday as he was about to board a flight to Hong Kong. Police later raided his studio.

Furor escalates over China’s detention of artist Ai Weiwei

Furor escalates over China’s detention of artist Ai Weiwei

BEIJING — Fears for the safety of one of China’s best-known artists are growing amid international condemnation of his extra-legal disappearance at the hands of the country’s increasingly repressive state security apparatus.

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