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The story behind the Mao Christmas tree ornament.

Posted: Feb 5, 2010

"A Warhol Christmas at the White House"

December 24, 2009 | 10:10 am

When it comes to art, the right-wing anti-Obama crowd hasn't had a very good year. Repeated efforts to gin up outrage in a manufactured culture war have either fallen flat or proved downright embarrassing. (You can see some of them here, here and here.)

The latest fiasco is the Great Christmas Ornament Scandal.

On Tuesday, Andrew Breitbart's Big Government blog got its knickers in a twist over one of the Obama White House's myriad Christmas trees. (Big Government is a sibling to Breitbart's Big Hollywood blog, which cranked up a paranoid fantasy about the National Endowment for the Arts a few months back.) The blaring "EXCLUSIVE" led with a blurry photo of a decoupage Christmas ornament adorned with the face of Chinese Communist dictator, Mao Zedong.

"Of course, Mao has his place in the White House," Big Government wailed about the GCOS, taking the Obama-as-socialist meme out for a yuletide spin.

Except, it wasn't exactly Mao. It was Andy Warhol's "Mao."

The image is one of a very large series of silkscreen paintings and prints the late Pop artist made of Mao. Warhol's parody transformed the leader of the world's most populous nation into a vapid superstar -- the most famous of the famous. The portrait photo from Mao's Little Red Book is tarted up with lipstick, eye-shadow and other Marilyn Monroe-style flourishes.

Where did the Christmas decoration come from?

"We took about 800 ornaments left over from previous administrations," First Lady Michelle Obama explained in an earlier press release about getting the White House ready for the holidays, "we sent them to 60 local community groups throughout the country, and asked them to decorate them to pay tribute to a favorite local landmark and then send them back to us for display here at the White House."

The precise source of the Warhol ornament is not known. But Warhol's Maos are in art museum collections from coast to coast, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago (whose painting most resembles the ornament image) and both the County Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Not surprisingly, Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol Museum has several.

Oh, and at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, the National Gallery of Art has 21 different versions of Warhol's "Mao." Twenty-one. Wait until Big Government bloggers find out about the Communist takeover of the National Gallery.

The remainder of the story can be found at:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/12/a-warhol-christmas-at-the-white-house.html

;

Thank you Nikki for posting this . .. I was too tired - Really?

[ In Reply To ..]
after I got off of work last night to do more research. Like I said before, the opposition will stop at nothing to continue the villification of the President. Case in point, Glenn Beck and his blackboard and histrionics.

Good to see you back on here, Nikki. :)

You're welcome. (nm) - Nikki

[ In Reply To ..]

:-)

Oh come on, Nikki - NJ

[ In Reply To ..]
The ornament is a likeness of a Warhol piece and is probably in museums. Don't you see this proves the point? Museums are gathering places for liberal socialist commie art-loving Bolsheviks. The only art shown should have been American Gothic. You know the one, the nice white couple at the farm, he holds a pitchfork.

Whose side are you on anyway, Nikki?

Welcome back, btw ^^

NJ

NJ: Watch for facts to stun the flustered flocks into deafening silence - Like your post on O and middle class. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

To NJ: My personal favorite is... - Nikki

[ In Reply To ..]

...dogs playing poker. LOL!

Thanks for the welcome back. I didn't really go anywhere, just needed a break for a little while. ;-)

Backing up Nikki. - Sources, as requested. sm

[ In Reply To ..]
A couple of key word clues for you: Rejoice, Renew and Reflect. Recycled ornaments. Decopage decorations. Andy Warhol.

One of the reasons that Googling this is so time consuming is that the facts are embedded (nearly to the point of being smothered) in the flurry of hoax â��believersâ�� conflating Fox half-truths into full-blown lies and spreading them like wildfire across the land, driven by hysterical cultural war foot soldiers and their relentless dim-wit strategies and maneuvers.

Maoâ��s image is plastered from coast to coast in art galleries, including the National Gallery on Pennsylvania Avenue, which houses (count â��em) 21 versions of the image. Warholâ��s version comes from a very large series of silkscreen paintings and prints the late Pop artist made of Mao. Warhol's parody transformed the leader of the world's most populous nation into a vapid superstar -- one portrait photo from Mao's Little Red Book is tarted up with lipstick (ala lipstick on a pig), eye-shadow and other Marilyn Monroe-style flourishes. His Mao parody series commemorated the 1972 historic Nixon visit to Bejing.

Letâ��s stop here and â��reflectâ�� a moment. Parody. Imitation. Spoof. Joke. Caricature. Mimic. Mock. Tonge-in-cheek. Ridicle. Disparage. Jeer. Lampoon. Implicit sarcasm.

How did the image end up on Christmas tree ornament? FLOTUS talks about Christmas 2009. They recycled 800 ornaments (as part of the Rejoice, Renew and Reflect theme they chose) left over fom previous administrations by sending them to 60 local community groups throughout the country, and asked them to decorate them by paying tribute to a favorite local landmark. American creativity and good ole Yankee ingenuity was reflected in the returns.

Pause. Andy Warhol. Mount Rushmore with artistic flourish of current president sumperimposed (probably by an admiring child). Hedda Lettuce, representative of LGBT community. American as apple pie in an in-your-face sort of way.

Fox fails to report the whole story, (for example, see link below on Christmas 2009, complete with photo gallery), recruits and manipulates their most gullible audience members into launching yet another round of culture war skirmishes, which as we can see, are ongong as we approach Valentineâ��s Day.

Before leaving this beaten-dead-horse subject, a little historical perspective may prove to be helpful. A couple of examples of Christmas Past controversies:

1. Nixonâ��s atomic peace symbol tree topper.
2. The 1994 coal-filled Christmas stocking with Newtâ��s name on it, designed an architecture student.
3. The rumored and debunked condoms and drug paraphernalia decorations of 1994.
4. The rejected red, white and blue Impeach Bush ornament, one of 374 submitted that year that were rejected.

So here we have yet one more example of regressives being challenged to appreciate the art of parody, the fabric of that real America to which they claim ownership while they rejecting its breadth, depth and scope, and generally speaking, the asthetic value of the abstract underpinnings of our diverse culture. The results of this test? Failure to connect the dots. Thankfully, most Americans can do elementary math and do not feel the least bit threatened by Christmas 2009 at the White House.

A few citations for those duped troops too lazy to Google and allergic to balanced reports:

Source of the image used in the hoaxâ�¦Andy Warhol
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/12/a-warhol-christmas-at-the-white-house.html

Lipstick on a pig image most resembling the controversial ornament at Art Institute in Chicago
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/search/citi/keyword%3Amao-artist%3Awarhol

WH tour of Christmas 2009
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1232765/Im-dreaming-White-House-Christmas-Michelle-Obama-shows-spectacular-decorations.html

History of controversy over White House Christmas tree.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_Christmas_tree#Controversy

Just a couple of your keywords from your - earlier post

[ In Reply To ..]
"Absurd. Ridiculous. Not founded in a shred of truth. The image of Obama superimposed on Mount Rushmore (that appears to be floating in midair over the background) is so poorly done, it should have been anybody's first clue.

Fox invents and spins and receptive viewers get duped once again."

So glad you took the time "sm" to research sources. Guess it wasn't a "HOAX" after all.

BTW, this so-called "Pop Culture" of Mao in my opinion doesn't belong on a holiday tree here in the USA.

Keywords ar key to understanding. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Absurd. Ridiculous. Not founded in a shred of truth.

Statements from the original post that these words describe from the Feb 3 and its followup that provided the (yankeephil) thinly disguised Fox news source:

1. The title of the OP (who is it REALLY protecting) in reference to DADT. I find implicit paranoia absurd, especially when it is suggestive of the creep factor spinning off Glen Beck's blackboard conspiracy theories.
2. The notion of portraying DADT as affording gays special treatment not extended to all citizens is not simply an opinion. It is not founded in a shred of truth since the opposite is the reality. Gays seek the same rights under the law enjoyed by all other citizens.
3. Shove beliefs down reluctant throats. A ridiculous statement both in word choice and concept.
4. The belief that Obama is not really a Christian. Not a shred of truth.
5. The image of Obama superimposed on Mount Rushmore was my first clue that further research needed. It was blurry and suggestive of possible hoax. On further investigation, indeed I found this gut reaction to be accurate.
6. Fox invents and spins and receptive viewers get duped once again. This has been laid out in detail in the Backing Up Nikki post and needs no further comment.

I had already done MY research when I posted earlier. You still refuse to acknowledge that before taking the hook, line and sinker from Fox and its media ilk, itâ��s up to you to balance what is clearly lacking in their reporting. Itâ��s your job, not mine. You might be surprised at what you learn when doing your own homework.

I stand by my comments about not having time to take someone kicking and screaming, etc. down the path to fact. That is a waste of valuable time, as we can see by your continued reticent arguments. It is extremely tiresome to constantly be doing culture battle when there is REAL news about REAL problems out there being ignored and buried under the garbage heaps of nonsense and flights of fantasy.

You continue not to understand that this is hoax and you have been duped. It is doubtful you even bothered to read Nikkiâ��s, NJâ��s or my comments on this subject since you are not addressing any of those points directly (surprise, surprise) or even acknowledging how Fox played you and the rest of its audience and commissioned you to do their dirty work for them. Falling prey to propaganda, conflating half-truths into lies and spreading them as gospel is what hoax is all about.

Guess you didnâ��t take the time to view the photo gallery of all the other White House trees adorned with all sorts of Christmas tradition. Pop culture is part of who we are and very appropriate to the theme, considering it was art work at the hand of your fellow Americans. This may come as a big surprise for you, but not everyone in the US celebrates Christmas, but all of us celebrate the holidays. Hence, the â��Holiday Treeâ�� is an inclusive gesture that also symbolizes a secular American reality.

I for one appreciate the pushback against Christians who would politicize a Christmas tree and its ornaments by using it as a devisive tool to ratchet up ill will during a season that promotes peace on earth.

spin it all you want, you were still wrong - get it

[ In Reply To ..]
do you get paid by the word or by the whole spew you post?

No spin needed. Speaks for itself. - Tell it like it is, free of charge..

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

You know you kind of hit the nail on the head - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
With your statement about your opinion that it doesn't belong on a holiday tree.

Truthfully I don't care if they had the ornament. What's the big deal after all. There are a ton of awfully strange trees throughout the country. I just don't see what pics of political leaders, artists, or drag queens have to do with Christmas. Oh bring me back to the 1950s with Santa Claus ornaments and those really pretty frosty colored ornaments.

I just didn't see what all the hoopla was about, and with all the people decorating and having a hand in this who ever would expect the Obama's to know what every single ornament was of. My thing was all these posters saying it was a hoax when it was not.

But I'm with you....in my opinion none of that belongs on a christmas tree. They could have had ornaments of Castro, Hitler, Michael Jackson, and Octomom for all I care. I myself would rather stick to original xmas ornaments, but to each their own.

Actually, it does matter. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
What is on the White House Christmas Trees represents the United States of America. It does, indeed, "matter".

Think about it.

I'm sorry but I disagree - what is on the tree - does not represent the USA

[ In Reply To ..]
A Christmas Tree does not represent the United States. Their actions of what they do while in the office and the administration represents the United States of America. We're talking about a Christmas Tree here. Maybe a Christmas Tree is fine for the christian people, but there are other religions out there too that do not celebrate with a tree. If the tree was to represent the country, then there better be a menorah, and other symbols of other religions.

What someone puts on the tree does not represent the country. They have a tree and that's all fine, but they can put whatever they want on it. It's their tree, their choice. It doesn't represent me or the country.

Besides, there are more serious issues going on in this country than an ornament on a tree.

One tree in a secular govt building among many - drenched in Christmas tradition....

[ In Reply To ..]
Hello. It's not a church or a temple. It's a govt building. For a picture of the National Menorah, go here...

http://dc.about.com/od/hoildaysseasonalevents/a/NatHanukMenorah.htm

Celebrated Kwanzaa, too.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/statement-president-and-first-lady-kwanzaa

Inclusive. Got it?

Technically, the tree itself if a pagan tradition that predates Christianity. Do you have any idea how many different ways people choose to decorate a holiday tree? Many have only color themes, are artifical, some downright gaudy. Christmas decorations are dragged out every year practically simultaneously with Halloween. In your face, everywhere you go. When is enough, enough? Nobody's in charge of rules that make a holiday tree proper or not.

Are you sure you replied to the right person? - I agree with everything you say.

[ In Reply To ..]
In my opinion they can have whatever they want on their tree (I personally favor an ornament of Octomom - ha ha). What the Obama's have on their Xmas does not reflect the US.

I beg your pardon. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
If Mr. and Mrs. Obama in the White House in the highest elected office of the United States of America do not represent the US, who does?

GMAB. It does indeed make a difference to anyone watching. To say not is ridiculous!

I didn't say "they" don't represent us - see message

[ In Reply To ..]
Of course "they" represent us. What they do and say out in public to other leaders respresents the country.

What they put on their Christmas tree does not represent the country, just as what their dishes looks like, how their kids decorated their bedroom, whether they choose to have a dog or cat, or any of that stuff does not represent the country.

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