The scene at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong.
There was a record for a piece of western contemporary art sold at auction in Asia when Andy Warhol’s Mao made US$12.6 million at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong. It was bought by an Asian collector. The Mao series marked a significant stylistic turning point for Warhol in the 1970’s. Mao was created in 1973, a year after the crucial moment of global politics where President Nixon visited China and Chairman Mao. Warhol’s portraits of Mao are undeniably among the most influential and enduring of all his images. The work is one of a series of 22 paintings, and four of them are in renowned public collections.
The painting in red and gold carries the highly expressionistic and flamboyant handling of paint as well as the artist’s resolution and confidence. Mao was transformed into the newest player on the fashion circuit and a glamourised member of the 1970’s pop idols.
The Modern and Contemporary Art evening sale totalled US$73.6 million.