Andy Warhol

Knoedler & Co., Inc., New York
Galerie Vedovi, Brussels
Aquired directly from the above by the present owner 

Colours: The colours are fairly accurate in the catalogue illustration, although the overall tonality is slightly deeper and richer in the original. Condition: The canvas is slightly slack overall with canvas draw to the left and right edges. There is a small spot of loss to the tip of the bottom right hand corner and very light wear to the extreme bottom edge towards the left hand corner. No restoration is apparent under ultraviolet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any stat.mes nt made by Replica Shoes 's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Having retired his hand from the creative process through the silkscreen technique and studio he had pioneered in the 1960s, Warhol’s portraits of Mao boldly announced his return to painting. Closer in style to the brushwork of Abstract Expressionism than to the cool, vernacular language of Pop, in contrast to Warhol’s portraits of Liz and Marilyn, Mao represented the other side of public notoriety.

Executed during America’s Cold War, the choice of subject could not have been more controversial or more appropriate to the artist’s investigation into the contradictions of celebrity. A figure of fear to the Western world yet one who was loved and revered by the nation he ruled, Mao Tse-Tung, like Marilyn and Elvis had, combined Warhol’s dual obsessions of death and fame within a single, t.mes less image.