From AP via the New York Times (link):
A portrait of China’s founding communist leader is getting the ultimate capitalist treatment.
The painting of Mao Zedong that was used as a model for portraits hung above Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in the 1950s and ’60s will be sold at auction June 3.
The painting is expected to bring $120,000-$150,000 at the sale, which is open to both Chinese and foreign bidders, said Mei Ligang, a spokesman for Beijing Huachen Auctions.
The 36-by-27-inch picture, known as a “mother copy,” was used by artists who painted Mao portraits that hung on the Tiananmen Gate, Mei said. He said the painting for sale never hung above the square, while copies that did have been lost.
See also Xinhua’s “Auction of Mao portrait sparks debate” (link); – Tiananmen Square Media Library’s Mao’s portrait, Mao’s videos; – Radio Free Asia’s “Mao Portrait Protester Freed, Travels to Canada” (link); – the New York Times’ ” Teacher Who Defaced Mao Portrait Gets Life” (link); PhotoSearch’s Mao portrait stock (link)
