Mao collection
T-Shirt
1995-1998 (made)
1995-1998 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This t-shirt, one of many in the V&A’s collection, was designed by Chinese-born Vivienne Tam. It shows an image of Chairman Mao, leader of the People's Republic of China from 1949 until his death in 1976. After his death, Mao became a pop icon and his face was used by artists and designers, both in China and elsewhere.
This garment depicts a rather irreverent portrait of Mao wearing lipstick, an image that would not have been seen in China during his lifetime. The T-shirts, together with suits, dresses and coats also with Mao designs, were part of the designer’s 1998 collection.
This garment depicts a rather irreverent portrait of Mao wearing lipstick, an image that would not have been seen in China during his lifetime. The T-shirts, together with suits, dresses and coats also with Mao designs, were part of the designer’s 1998 collection.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Mao collection (named collection) |
| Materials and techniques | Printed cotton with applied plastic sequins |
| Brief description | Printed cotton T-shirt with applied plastic sequins, designed by Vivienne Tam, Hong Kong 1995-1998 |
| Physical description | White cotton T-shirt printed with a re-worked portrait of Chairman Mao. It shows Mao wearing pink lipstick. The T-shirt has a round neck and short sleeves. The design is covered in applied clear plastic sequins. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Ready to wear |
| Credit line | Given by the designer |
| Object history | See FE.43-1998 |
| Summary | This t-shirt, one of many in the V&A’s collection, was designed by Chinese-born Vivienne Tam. It shows an image of Chairman Mao, leader of the People's Republic of China from 1949 until his death in 1976. After his death, Mao became a pop icon and his face was used by artists and designers, both in China and elsewhere. This garment depicts a rather irreverent portrait of Mao wearing lipstick, an image that would not have been seen in China during his lifetime. The T-shirts, together with suits, dresses and coats also with Mao designs, were part of the designer’s 1998 collection. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.49-1998 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | November 19, 2003 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
