Even though Mao's face can be found in work by many Chinese artists, government officials in China have nonetheless vetoed the inclusion of Andy Warhol's famous rendition of the Great Leader in a retrospective of his work traveling there, Bloomberg reported. Eric Shiner, director of the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, said that when he heard last month that officials in China's Ministry of Culture objected to displaying 10 Mao portraits, he asked them to reconsider.
“My argument was that in contemporary Chinese art today, using imagery of Mao is very common practice,†Mr. Shiner said, “but that did not sway or change the opinion.â€
Mr. Shiner helped organize “Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal,†an exhibition of more than 300 works that opened last week in Hong Kong and will travel to Shanghai and Beijingâ€"part of an Asian tour that c oincides with the 25th anniversary of the artist's death. Warhol created the portraits after President Nixon visited China in 1972, and visited the country himself in 1982.
Mr. Shiner said that exposing the Chinese public to Warhol's work was more important than the exclusion of any particular piece of art. But he added that he hopes “that one day, they'll make their debut.â€
