Mao, New York, Castelli Graphics and Multiples, Inc., 1972 (F. & S. II 90-9)

In the present work, Warhol, always feigning innocence and Girl Scout cookie business accumen created one of his greatest prophetic ironies. He chose for the first time to seemingly glamorize not a Hollywood celebrity or icon of American pop culture, but instead a communist ruler who was then actively persecuting artists and intellectuals. Having previously striven to remove any personal mark in his artworks, it is interesting to note that Warhol chose this moment to re-introduce free-hand drawing and painterly surfaces to his screenprints.