ARTIST

Ai Weiwei

1957 - Today

Photo of Ai Weiwei

Icon of person Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei ( EYE way-WAY; Chinese: 艾未未; pinyin: Ài Wèiwèi, IPA: [âɪ wêɪ.wêɪ]; born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly critical of the Chinese Government's stance on democracy and human rights. He investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan schools corruption scandal following the collapse of "tofu-dreg schools" in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Ai Weiwei is the 30th most popular artist (down from 26th in 2019), the 333rd most popular biography from China (down from 285th in 2019) and the most popular Chinese Artist.

Ai Weiwei is most famous for his work as an artist, architect, and social activist. He has been a vocal critic of the Chinese government and has been detained for his activism.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Ai Weiwei by language

Loading...

Among ARTISTS

Among artists, Ai Weiwei ranks 30 out of 125. Before him are Akira Yoshizawa, Banksy, Josef Albers, Émile Gallé, Onfim, and Edward Burne-Jones. After him are Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bernt Notke, Barnett Newman, Méret Oppenheim, William Wallace Denslow, and John Heartfield.

Most Popular Artists in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1957, Ai Weiwei ranks 44. Before him are Peter North, Stefan Löfven, Kelly McGillis, Rumiko Takahashi, Bruce Beutler, and Masayoshi Son. After him are Ivo Josipović, Rinat Dasayev, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, Kevin McHale, Theo van Gogh, and Michael Cretu.

Others Born in 1957

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In China

Among people born in China, Ai Weiwei ranks 333 out of 1,610. Before him are Duan Qirui (1865), Princess Taiping (665), Yelü Chucai (1189), Meng Haoran (690), Lao She (1899), and Zhang Daoling (34). After him are Jia Xu (147), He Jin (135), Xun Yu (163), Gu Kaizhi (345), Gao Shun (200), and Mi Fu (1051).

Others born in China

Go to all Rankings
Load previous
  • Photo of Duan Qirui

    Duan Qirui

    POLITICIAN

    1865 - 1936

    HPI: 66.70

    Rank: 327

  • Photo of Princess Taiping

    Princess Taiping

    COMPANION

    665 - 713

    HPI: 66.68

    Rank: 328

  • Photo of Yelü Chucai

    Yelü Chucai

    POLITICIAN

    1189 - 1243

    HPI: 66.68

    Rank: 329

  • Photo of Meng Haoran

    Meng Haoran

    WRITER

    690 - 740

    HPI: 66.67

    Rank: 330

  • Photo of Lao She

    Lao She

    WRITER

    1899 - 1966

    HPI: 66.65

    Rank: 331

  • Photo of Zhang Daoling

    Zhang Daoling

    PHILOSOPHER

    34 - 156

    HPI: 66.64

    Rank: 332

  • Photo of Ai Weiwei

    Ai Weiwei

    ARTIST

    1957 - Present

    HPI: 66.63

    Rank: 333

  • Photo of Jia Xu

    Jia Xu

    POLITICIAN

    147 - 223

    HPI: 66.63

    Rank: 334

  • Photo of He Jin

    He Jin

    MILITARY PERSONNEL

    135 - 189

    HPI: 66.61

    Rank: 335

  • Photo of Xun Yu

    Xun Yu

    POLITICIAN

    163 - 212

    HPI: 66.60

    Rank: 336

  • Photo of Gu Kaizhi

    Gu Kaizhi

    PAINTER

    345 - 406

    HPI: 66.60

    Rank: 337

  • Photo of Gao Shun

    Gao Shun

    MILITARY PERSONNEL

    200 - 199

    HPI: 66.59

    Rank: 338

  • Photo of Mi Fu

    Mi Fu

    PAINTER

    1051 - 1107

    HPI: 66.57

    Rank: 339

Load previous

Among ARTISTS In China

Among artists born in China, Ai Weiwei ranks 1. After him are Wang Xianzhi (344), Hu Zhengyan (1584), and Tyrus Wong (1910).

Chinese born Artists

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous