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Artworks
Andy Warhol
Chairman Mao (F & S II.91), 1972
Screenprint on Beckett High White paper.
91.44 x 91.44 cm.
36 x 36 in.
36 x 36 in.
250 signed. 50 AP.
Signed in ball-point pen and numbered with a rubber stamp on verso
AP signed and numbered in pencil on verso; some signed and numbered in ball-point pen.
AP signed and numbered in pencil on verso; some signed and numbered in ball-point pen.
£50,000 - £60,000 GBP
Andy Warhol’s Mao series, created in 1972, marks an intersection between celebrity and politics, a theme central to his work. Obsessed with the cult of Mao, Warhol was drawn to...
Andy Warhol’s Mao series, created in 1972, marks an intersection between celebrity and politics, a theme central to his work. Obsessed with the cult of Mao, Warhol was drawn to the unavoidable omnipresence of one of history’s most recognisable faces. The colours and technique are emblematic of Warhol’s aesthetic, reminiscent of his other series of Hollywood stars. Warhol is playful with his use of colour, using it to suggest hints of lipstick and eyeshadow on a figure of serious political status. The series transforms a highly powerful dictator into a kitschy and camp 1970s pop icon, posing the question – is there any difference between the cult of fame and the cult of infamy? Warhol’s Mao series is both a critique and a celebration of how images of power are commodified and circulated. Through his use of bold colour, repetition, and scale, Warhol transforms Mao’s image into an emblem of fame, aligning it with the Western cult of celebrity while commenting on the universal power of propaganda.