Mao (F. & S. II.93)
Mao (F. & S. II.93)
Signed Print
Andy Warhol
£22,000-£35,000
$40,000-$70,000 Value Indicator
$40,000-$60,000 Value Indicator
¥210,000-¥330,000 Value Indicator
€26,000-€40,000 Value Indicator
$220,000-$350,000 Value Indicator
¥4,510,000-¥7,170,000 Value Indicator
$28,000-$45,000 Value Indicator
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
There aren't enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.
Medium: Screenprint
Edition size: 250
Year: 1972
Size: H 91cm x W 91cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2023 | Sotheby's Online - United Kingdom | Mao (F. & S. II.93) - Signed Print | |||
| October 2022 | Galerie Gloggner Luzern - Switzerland | Mao (F. & S. II.93) - Signed Print | |||
| January 2022 | Ressler Kunst Auktionen - Austria | Mao (F. & S. II.93) - Signed Print | |||
| September 2020 | Bonhams Los Angeles - United States | Mao (F. & S. II.93) - Signed Print | |||
| October 2019 | Freeman's - United States | Mao (F. & S. II.93) - Signed Print | |||
| April 2019 | Christie's New York - United States | Mao (F. & S. II.93) - Signed Print | |||
| October 2018 | Sotheby's New York - United States | Mao (F. & S. II.93) - Signed Print |
Meaning & Analysis
Mao (F. & S. II.93) from the Mao series (1972) is one of Andy Warhol’s most recognisable prints that shows a portrait of the formidable communist leader of China, Mao Zedong with a bright green face. To create the image, Warhol appropriated an official propaganda image of Mao, from a publication called the Little Red Book, that was widely disseminated throughout China as a communist political tool.
The pervasiveness of Mao’s image captured Warhol’s attention, likening the original image to his own screen prints of celebrity icons: ‘I have been reading so much about China. They’re so nutty. They don’t believe in creativity. The only picture they ever have is of Mao Zedong. It’s great. It looks like a silkscreen.’
Warhol heavily manipulates the colour of the original image, giving Mao a bright green face, pink lips and pink tunic, set against a blue backdrop. Gestural brushstrokes and lines can be seen on the print, mimicking the bold painting style championed by the Abstract Expressionist movement that was synonymous with the capitalist American ideals of individual expression. Reproducing this image over and over through the screen printing method, Warhol points to the suppression of individual expression in Mao’s communist China and directly compares this to the dissipation of mass-media images in 1970s America.
