Warhol’s Mao is unacceptable in China!

Mao Zedong / Andy Warhol

Esteemed pop culture icon and silk screener Andy Warhol is long dead but his work lives on through several museums, even a trust, and traveling shows of his work. Recently his prints hit complications, specifically those of Mao Zedong, the Communist Chinese leader, in a retrospective held in the country. The prints were part of a 300+ show called Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal put together by Eric Shriner of Pittsburgh, the head of The Andy Warhol Museum located there. Though Shriner mentioned that images of Mao are common practice now, the Chinese Ministry of Culture still decreed that the ten of Mao in the show could not be shown. The show is supposed to hit several huge cities in China including Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai.

Starting in 2012—the 25th anniversary of Andy Warhol’s death—the exhibition will bring the largest ever collection of Andy Warhol’s work to Asia. The exhibition will feature over 300 paintings, photographs, screen prints, drawings, 3-D installations and sculptures including iconic works such as Jackie, Marilyn Monroe, Mao, Campbell’s Soup, Silver Liz, The Last Supper, and Self-Portrait. Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal will visit five cities across Asia from 2012 to 2014.

Andy Warhol

Mao Zedong / Andy Warhol