Ai Weiwei, Stacked (2002), Installation view Pérez Art Museum Miami Photo credit: Daniel Azoulay photography

The doors of Miami’s newly completed Perez Art Museum opened this past December with a landmark exhibition of works by Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei, the first major international retrospective of the artist’s work.  Charting the artist’s signature blend of irreverence, scale, architectural techniques and sculptural conceptualism, the exhibition is a remarkable introduction to Ai’s challenging and oftentimes difficult work, drawing on political aggression and irony to open dialogues on contemporary politics around the world.

An Ai Weiwei Zodiac Head outside the PAMM, via Art Observed

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An 18th century Chinese vase made for the Qianlong emperor has been sold for less than half of its last auction price.  The vase had sold for a record $83 million at auction two years ago, but was put back on the market after its buyer, collector Wang Yaohui, failed to pay.  The vase was recently resold for an undisclosed price said to be between  $32 million and $40 million.  “It’s the right price,’’ Dealer Roger Keverne says. “That was the figure at which most people were interested when the vase was originally offered. It’s settled to its true value.’’ (more…)