The ‘Tsai Residence’ was built in 2006 on behalf of Christopher Tsai, an American-Chinese investment manager and the world's largest collector of Ai Weiwei's works of art. Designed in collaboration with the Swiss firm HHF Architects, it remains to this day Weiwei's only private residence on American soil. Presented on the real estate market in 2019, it has just found a buyer for $4.9 million, despite a slightly higher starting price of $5.25 million.
The property first appeared on the market in 2013 and sold for $4.25 million. Planted on 37 acres of land, the Tsai residence includes a main house, guest house and swimming pool.
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Real estate agent Graham Klemm described the home as "livable art". Indeed, the architectural liberties taken by Weiwei, such as the Y-shaped guest house or the main residence made up of four interconnected cubes, in no way hinder the functionality of the house. It’s "very livable and practical", added Klemm, "everything a luxury home owner would want".
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The guest house, located in a cantilevered position not far from the main building, won an American Architecture Award in 2013.
News of the recent sale was reported on Twitter by art journalist Katya Kazakina.
Despite a very respectable amount, this real estate did not surpass the price of the artist's most expensive work of art (sold at auction). His Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads, a bronze sculpture set presented at Phillips London, soared for $5.42 million in 2015.
A committed and controversial artist, Ai Weiwei is a talented architect who designed, among other things, the Birds Nest stadium for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, in collaboration with Herzog and de Meuron.
