mao zedong

Warhol Screenprints Sell High At Auction

I was surprised that the screenprint portrait of Mao Zedong by Andy Warhol, with two bullet holes put there by "Easy Rider" star Dennis Hopper was only estimated at $20,000 to $30,000. To myself I speculated that it might eke out a price over $100,000. I was not even close. The work with two bullet holes sold for $302,500 at Christie's on Tuesday, more than 10 times its high estimate. The 1972 screenprint from Hopper's art collection is done in hues of mostly blues and greens. Hopper shot the artwork when startled one night. He showed Warhol the bullet holes, and the pair agreed to consider the work a collaboration. Warhol drew circles around the holes, labeling the one over Mao's right shoulder "warning shot" and the one at his upper left eyelid "bullet hole." Another famous Warhol screenprint from 1967 of Marilyn Monroe fetched $206,500, or about four times the pre-sale estimate.

Tags: andy warhol, christies, dennis hopper, mao zedong

Shopping Mall Wants To Rid Itself Of Mao Zedong's Private Jet

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

A rather interesting piece of Chinese history is up for sale, the personal jet of legendary leader Mao Zedong. The current owner, the Ridong Group in Zhuhai, near Macao, wants it taken away from outside a shopping mall where it is on display and taking up space that could be used for more parking spaces. The Financial Times reports that the jet, a Trident, was used mainly by Jiang Qing, Mao's last wife and the head of the Gang of Four radicals. The jet was built in Britain and imported with two others in 1969. One was used by the Military Commission and State Council, one by Mao and the third by Lin Biao, Mao's designated successor. The aircraft was bought by Ridong in 1999 to attract shoppers to their mall. Now it stands wrapped in furniture advertising with a big red For Sale sign.

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Tags: mao zedong, MaoZedong, private jet, PrivateJet, trident

Mao Portrait for Sale

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

A portrait of Mao Zedong is being offered at a June 3rd auction in Beijing. It was painted in the 1950s by portraitist Zhang Zhenshi and posters of it were circulated throughout the country. Zhenshi was one of the first artists to do a portrait of Mao and this painting is said to be one of his only surviving works. Since the announcement of the auction, the inclusion of the portrait has met with some opposition, with critics citing that its historical value is too great for it to be sold. It is currently owned by a Chinese American and is expected to sell for $120,000-150,000, as other Mao memorabilia has done well at auctions recently.