Uli Sigg's Chinese Art Trove at M+ Museum Explores Mao as Pop Icon

The M+ Sigg Collection: Inner Worlds exhibition at M+ museum in Hong Kong features three paintings of Mao by Yu Youhan, including 'Untitled (Mao Marilyn)' (2005), which depicts the former Chinese leader with red lipstick and heavy eye shadow in the style of Marilyn Monroe. Curator Wu Mo explained that the work reflects a late-1990s cultural trend of Mao nostalgia, where his image appeared on merchandise, rather than being politically provocative. The exhibition highlights works by 38 artists from the M+ Sigg Collection, amassed by Swiss collector Uli Sigg, who donated much of his trove to the museum. The context of freedom of expression in Hong Kong has tightened since Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020, expanded in 2024, leading to the disappearance of political cartoons and graphic art critical of Beijing. Meanwhile, Chinese artist Gao Zhen, known for provocative Mao sculptures, stood trial in China in March 2026 on charges of slandering national heroes.