Warhol’s idea for creating portraits of Mao Zedong, the Chinese Communist revolutionary, began, according to Bob Colacello’s biography of Warhol, Holy Terror, with Bruno Bischofberger, Warhol’s longtime dealer and supporter in Zurich. Bischofberger suggested that Warhol return to painting by making portraits of the most important figure of the 20th Century. Ever the enthusiast for celebrity adoration, Warhol mentioned that he had read in Life magazine that Mao Zedong was the most famous person in the world at that time. The enforced ubiquity of Mao’s image in China and its resemblance to a silkscreen instantly attracted Warhol. As David Bourdon notes in his Warhol biography, he thought it would be great to make paintings similar to ‘the same poster you can buy in a poster store’.

Andy Warhol based the 10 screenprints that comprise the present work on the official portrait of the Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong (1893-1976), that was illustrated on the cover of the widely circulated 1966 publication Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong, also known as the Little Red Book. Party members were strongly encouraged to carry a copy with them as it contained the foundations of Maoist ideology.

The cult of Mao played a crucial role in the Cultural Revolution of 1966-1976. The figure of the Chairman was often the centre of the politicised images that were produced in vast quantities and disseminated throughout China. By the early 1970s, Mao was established as one of the most important figures in modern history and his portrait one of the most replicated. China’s improved relations with the United States, symbolised by Richard Nixon’s visit to the communist nation, and the attention paid to it by the world’s media, further increased Mao’s already significant global political profile. Considering Warhol’s obsession with fame, it is not surprising that the Chinese leader provided an appealing image for his art. This image inspired Warhol not only to create this set of screenprints, but also five series of paintings, a series of drawings and a design for wallpaper.

Silkscreen in colours, 1972, on Beckett High White paper, signed and numbered from the edition of 250, printed by Styria Studio, Inc., New York, published by Castelli Graphics and Multiples, Inc. New York, 91.4 x 91.4 cm.