Andy Warhol’s Mao (F. & S. II.95) is part of his bold 1972 Mao portfolio, a series of ten screenprints based on the official portrait of Chinese Communist leader Chairman Mao Zedong. In this piece, Warhol overlays the authoritarian image with wild, vivid colors and gestural brushstrokes—transforming a symbol of political power into a work of pop culture.
The print features Mao's face in flat, photographic black and white, disrupted by vibrant overlays of color—often with exaggerated lips, brightly colored skin, and painterly smudges. These expressive additions mock the seriousness of the original image, blurring the line between political propaganda and commercial art.
Created during the Cold War and following Nixon’s visit to China, Warhol’s Mao series reflects his fascination with celebrity and mass image culture. By treating Mao as he would a Hollywood star, Warhol questions the way society constructs and consumes figures of authority.
Mao (F. & S. II.95) is a striking example of Warhol’s signature style—combining mechanical reproduction with painterly touches—and stands as both a political statement and a commentary on how power and image intersect in the modern world.