The Only Private Home Ai Weiwei Ever Designed in the US Is Now on the Market for More Than $5 Million. See It Here

The property was built in 2006 for art collector Christopher Tsai.

The Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Iwan Baan.

Have you ever wanted to live inside a work by Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei? Now you can. The Tsai Residence in Upstate New York, which the Chinese artist designed with Swiss firm HHF Architects in 2006, is on the market for $5.25 million.

Although the asking price might seem a bit steep, it’s still slightly less than the auction record for a work by Ai of $5.4 million, according to the Artnet Price Database. That was at Phillips London in 2015 for Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads, the artist’s set of bronze animal heads recreating the large-scale fountain looted by the British from China’s Summer Palace. So it’s basically a steal.

The 2,800-square-foot structure is made of four side-by-side cubes connected by interior passageways. There are three bedrooms and bathrooms, two living rooms, and three fireplaces. The building is clad in corrugated iron panels that recall an agricultural shed, giving it an industrial appearance that contrasts with the pastoral setting.

“This is livable art,” listing agent Graham Klemm, who is overseeing the sale, told the Robb Report. “But it’s still very livable and practical, and [has] everything a luxury homeowner would want.”

The kitchen at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The kitchen at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The private residence in Ancram, New York, two hours outside the city, was commissioned by the Chinese-American businessman and art collector Christopher Tsai. It’s the only private property in the country designed by Ai. Today, he’s better known for his activist-inspired artwork, but he first came to widespread notice in the US for his part in the design of the so-called “Bird’s Nest” stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics with Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron.

A guesthouse with an office, two bedrooms, and an art gallery was added to the 37.5-acre property by the original architects in 2009. Paneled with oxidized Cor-ten steel, the y-shaped structure won a American Architecture Award in 2013. There is also a lap pool.

The property last changed hands in 2013 for $4.25 million.

See more photos of the Tsai Residence below.

The Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The pool at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The pool at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The foyer at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The foyer at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The master bathroom at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The master bathroom at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The living room at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The living room at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

A bedroom at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

A bedroom at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The office at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The office at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The Tsai Residence guest house, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Iwan Baan.

The Tsai Residence guest house, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Iwan Baan.

The Tsai Residence guest house, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Iwan Baan.

The Tsai Residence guest house, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Iwan Baan.

The Tsai Residence guest house, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Iwan Baan.

The Tsai Residence guest house, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Iwan Baan.

The Tsai Residence guest house, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The Tsai Residence guest house, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The guest house at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The guest house at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The guest house at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The guest house at the Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Michael Bowman Photography.

The Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Iwan Baan.

The Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Iwan Baan.

The Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Iwan Baan.

The Tsai Residence, designed by Ai Weiwei and HHF Architects. Photo by Iwan Baan.


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