Mao 91 by Andy Warhol presents Mao Zedong set against a warm red to salmon-toned background that presses the image forward. His face appears cool and pale by contrast, washed in icy blue and white tones that flatten depth and heighten graphic impact. Dark, calligraphic lines define the hair and jaw, while sharp yellow and green accents cut across the collar and jacket. The effect feels theatrical and slightly cosmetic, as if propaganda has been filtered through the visual language of celebrity portraiture.
Mao 91 and Warhol’s Mao Series
“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 silkscreen.” — Andy Warhol.
Just one year after this comment, Warhol created Mao 91. The work is part of Andy Warhol’s notorious Mao series. Given the subject matter, the portfolio proved controversial from the outset. Unlike his usual focus on American consumer culture, Warhol turned toward a figure synonymous with Communist power. Mao Zedong founded the People’s Republic of China and ruled as Chairman of the Communist Party from 1949 until his death in 1976. Accordingly, Mao 91 may also be referred to as the red Mao, the salmon Mao, or the blue-faced Mao, depending on which color dominates the composition.
Cold War Tensions and Political Context
At the same time, geopolitical tensions shaped the reception of the series. After the People’s Republic of China fell to communism, the United States cut diplomatic ties for decades. As a result, American audiences viewed Warhol’s Mao portraits with suspicion. Communist China outlawed religion, private property, free speech, and voting rights. Moreover, in 1958 Mao launched the Great Leap Forward, an industrial campaign that led to famine and the deaths of millions. Against this backdrop, Warhol’s decision to aestheticize Mao appeared provocative, if not reckless.
Meanwhile, relations between the United States and China began to shift. In 1972, Richard Nixon visited China and met Mao Zedong, marking the first visit by a U.S. president to the People’s Republic of China. This diplomatic spectacle dominated American media and directly inspired Warhol to pursue the Mao series. The moment signaled a tentative thaw in Cold War hostilities and placed Mao’s image back into global circulation.
Propaganda, Celebrity, and Color
By contrast, Warhol’s treatment of Nixon had been openly hostile. In the same year, he produced the Vote McGovern portrait, using distorted colors to cast Nixon in a demonic light. However, Warhol did not approach the Mao series with the same satirical aggression. Instead, Mao 91 blends the visual language of totalitarian propaganda with the bright, cosmetic colors found in his celebrity portraits. He applies pigment like makeup, giving Mao a strangely blooming personality. Although this approach is unmistakably Warholian, it stands in sharp contrast to Communist ideology, which rejected individualism.
Mao 91 in Warhol’s Larger Body of Work
Ultimately, the Mao series remains one of Warhol’s most controversial achievements. Even so, it demonstrates his ability to transform political power into visual spectacle. By rendering Mao as a celebrity icon, Warhol collapsed the boundary between propaganda and popular culture. Mao 91 stands as one of the most elegant prints in the series, revealing how Warhol could absorb even the most rigid ideological imagery into his own visual system.
Photo Credit: Andy Warhol in front of the Forbidden City, Beijing, 1982. Photo by Christopher Makos.
