Mao 92 by Andy Warhol presents Mao Zedong’s portrait in an unusual palette of muted warmth and cool contrast. Mao’s face appears in a yellow-grey tone that reads as opaque and slightly chalky, offset by lavender hues in the background and shirt. His lips register as a bluish green, sharply unnatural against the softer fields of color. Black linework defines the eyes and hair, anchoring the image while allowing the color blocks to remain flat and unsettled. The overall effect feels restrained yet dissonant, as if the portrait hovers between official authority and visual distortion.
Mao 92 and the Mao Portfolio
Mao 92 by Andy Warhol is a print from the artist’s Mao portfolio made in 1972. This specific print is often referred to as the “yellow-grey” or the “lavender” Mao, referencing the colors of the face, background, and shirt. Like many of his other images, Mao 92 reflects Warhol’s fascination with power and influence. As one of the great actors of the Cold War, Mao Zedong stands as a symbol of communist authority whose stoic portrait was mass-produced throughout China during his dictatorship. The series marked a significant deviation from Warhol’s usual focus on American culture and capitalism.
Political Context and Early 1970s America
Warhol created the Mao portfolio in 1972, roughly one year after President Richard Nixon announced his visit to China. Nixon’s trip, and the extensive media coverage that followed, strongly influenced Warhol’s decision to paint the Chinese leader. The meeting between the United States and China signaled an end to decades of diplomatic isolation between the two nations. Later, that same year, Warhol released Vote McGovern, a lithograph supporting George McGovern’s presidential campaign. The work presents a distorted portrait of Nixon rendered in harsh color, marking the first explicitly political message in Warhol’s art.
Celebrity, Power, and Warhol’s Expanding Practice
In the early 1970s, Warhol increasingly focused on commissioned portraits of celebrities. During this period, he produced works featuring figures such as Mick Jagger, Muhammad Ali, and unpublished portraits like Truman Capote. These celebrity images became a central part of his practice and a major source of income. Just two years earlier, in 1970, Warhol had published his Flowers series, a visually disparate yet highly successful addition to his oeuvre.
Bruno Bischofberger and the Choice of Mao
The initial inspiration to paint Mao 92 emerged from a conversation between Warhol and art dealer Bruno Bischofberger. Bischofberger suggested that Warhol paint the most famous people of the twentieth century. Although he proposed Albert Einstein, whom Warhol would depict years later, the artist had a different figure in mind. “Oh, that’s a good idea,” Warhol replied. “But I was just reading in Life magazine that the most famous person in the world today is Chairman Mao. Shouldn’t it be the most famous person, Bruno?”
Propaganda, Pop, and Controversy
Warhol developed a fascination with China, particularly the machinery of communist propaganda and the cult of Maoism. Millions of followers sustained that system through repetition and image control. Distributed throughout China and reproduced on the cover of the Little Red Book, Mao’s portrait already resembled one of Warhol’s silkscreens. The image functioned as both authority and design.
Due to Mao’s cult-like following and global visibility, Warhol’s decision to paint him echoed his earlier interest in figures such as Edie Sedgwick and Marilyn Monroe. In each case, fame operated as a visual system. Warhol openly framed the project in terms of fashion and circulation. He remarked that Mao’s image could move like any other mass-produced poster.
Warhol portrayed numerous political figures, including Edward Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, and Vladimir Lenin. In doing so, he exposed clear parallels between political propaganda and capitalist advertising.
Mao 92 in Warhol’s Larger Body of Work
Mao 92 remains provocative decades after its creation. In 2013, Chinese officials removed the Mao series from a worldwide Warhol retrospective when it arrived in China, citing concerns that the portraits depicted Mao wearing makeup. In Mao 92, lavender and pink tones contrast sharply with Mao’s bluish green lips, creating a sense of individual expression that stands in opposition to communist collectivism. The Mao portfolio remains one of Warhol’s most controversial and politically charged bodies of work. Although it marked his first sustained engagement with non-American politics, it would not be his last, as he later portrayed figures such as Vladimir Lenin and Alexander the Great.
Photo Credit: Andy Warhol in front of Tiananmen Square, Beijing, 1982. Image © Christopher Makos, 1982
