Title: Mao (FS II.125A)
Medium: Screenprint on wallpaper
Year: 1974
Size: 40.125” x 29.5”
Edition: Edition of approximately 100. Signed in felt pen.
Mao Zedong, a Chinese Communist revolutionary and the founding father of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, is regarded as one of the most important figures in modern world history. Although a controversial individual, he is praised for modernizing China and turning it into a world power by promoting the status of women and improving education as well as other accomplishments. This screenprint was published for a Warhol exhibition at the Musée Galliera in Paris, France. Warhol’s fine detail of Mao’s features enables one to identify the prominent figure even with minimal context. The splash of indigo placed on Mao’s face makes it a signature Warhol painting with the pop of color.