Mao (F. & S. II.97)
Mao (F. & S. II.97)
Signed Print
Andy Warhol
£35,000-£50,000
$70,000-$100,000 Value Indicator
$60,000-$90,000 Value Indicator
¥320,000-¥460,000 Value Indicator
€40,000-€60,000 Value Indicator
$350,000-$490,000 Value Indicator
¥6,620,000-¥9,450,000 Value Indicator
$45,000-$60,000 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 | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2024 | Christie's London | United Kingdom | |||
| December 2023 | Sotheby's New York | United States | |||
| October 2023 | Phillips New York | United States | |||
| June 2023 | Bonhams New Bond Street | United Kingdom | |||
| June 2023 | Cannes Encheres SARL | France | |||
| June 2023 | Rago | United States | |||
| March 2023 | Bonhams Los Angeles | United States |
Meaning & Analysis
Taken from his renowned Mao series from 1972, Mao (F. & S. II.97) is a print by Andy Warhol that features a striking portrait of the Chinese communist leader Chairman Mao Zedong. The print contrasts pink hues in Mao’s face and tunic against a lurid yellow background, that seeps into his eyes and Warhol has deliberately left created imperfections with the ink.
Warhol’s use of colour in his Mao (F. & S. 97) print works within the aesthetic of Western kitsch and alludes to the appearance of makeup on Mao’s face. Baby pink is added to enhance the lips of the statesman and his darkly coloured mole is reminiscent of Marylin Monroe’s beauty mark. In the suggestion of makeup and use of fluorescent colours, Warhol makes a statement on the false veneer that the original propaganda image attempts to portray and at the same time revitalises Chairman Mao as an unlikely Pop icon to be distributed as an image in the mass-media.
Relying on his typical method of screen printing with the aim of mass-production, Warhol reflects the wide distribution of Mao’s image in communist China whilst also comparing this to the obsessive production of mass-media images in capitalist America. The result is a humorous social commentary on these opposing systems of power during the political tensions of the Cold War.
