Warhol's 'Mao' portrait bought for record price

One of the art works you won't be seeing at the Beijing human rights exhibition is Andy Warhol's iconic portrait of an iconic guy, Chairman Mao. The painting found a new owner at a Christie's auction:

Andy Warhol's sensational portrait of Mao Zedong, considered a landmark of 20th century art, was sold to Hong Kong collector and real estate developer Joseph Lau for US$16.4 million, plus a US$1 million commission, on Wednesday night in New York, Christie's auction house said.

The portrait, entitled "Mao," set a world auction record for the artist, bringing in about US$5 million more than expected for the Switzerland-based Daros Collection, owner of one of the largest private collections of Warhol paintings.

You can see some pictures and read the Chinese article here, where they also give a brief introduction to Joseph Lau. Despite shelling out a shitload of money for the painting, Joseph Lau is not going to be reducing his caloric intake or taking a out a second mortgage anytime soon -- not as long as people still shop at Sogo. Lau's company also has a stake in the Hong Kong New World tower here in Shanghai.

This particular portrait of Mao is one of about ten that Andy Warhol did, and is considered by many to be the best one of the bunch.

Photo from southcom.cn.