Marcus Chen
Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans is a series of 32 paintings created between November 1961 and June 1962. Each painting depicts a Campbell's Soup can, with one of each variety the company offered at the time. The series was first exhibited in July 1962 at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles. Warhol's paintings of Campbell's Soup cans are considered groundbreaking and helped launch his career, with the artist becoming known for his exploration of commercialism and popular culture in art. The series also brought Pop Art to the forefront as a major art movement in the United States.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of paintings | 32 |
| Height | 20 inches (51 cm) |
| Width | 16 inches (41 cm) |
| Year | 1962 |
| Exhibition date | July 9, 1962 |
| Exhibition location | Ferus Gallery, Los Angeles, California |
| Curator | Irving Blum |
| Artist's goal | To make his soup paintings look as plain and direct as possible, as though the cans had leaped straight from the supermarket shelf |
| Artist's fascination | Serial imagery, consumerism |
| Artist's technique | Hand painting, spray painting through a stencil cutout, rubber stamping, silkscreen painting |
| Artist's inspiration | Everyday object, something recognisable to almost everybody |
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What You'll Learn
- Andy Warhol created 32 Campbell's Soup Can paintings in 1962
- The paintings were exhibited at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles
- Warhol's inspiration came from a suggestion by his friend, Muriel Latow
- The paintings were placed on shelves, recalling the stacked displays used by supermarkets
- Warhol's paintings helped launch his career and brought him household name status
Andy Warhol created 32 Campbell's Soup Can paintings in 1962
Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans is a work of art produced between November 1961 and June 1962. It consists of 32 canvases, each measuring 20 inches (51 cm) in height and 16 inches (41 cm) in width. Each canvas consists of a painting of a Campbell's Soup can, depicting one of each variety of soup the company offered at the time. The paintings were created using a variety of techniques, including hand painting, spray painting through a stencil, and rubber stamping images.
The Campbell's Soup Cans were first exhibited on July 9, 1962, at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, California. The exhibition was curated by Irving Blum and marked the West Coast debut of pop art. The paintings were displayed side-by-side on small shelves, resembling the stacked displays used by supermarkets. This installation choice reflected Warhol's fascination with consumerism and serial imagery.
Warhol's inspiration for the Campbell's Soup Cans came from his desire to find a subject that was recognisable and familiar to a wide audience. He is quoted as saying, "I wanted to paint nothing. I was looking for something that was the essence of nothing, and that was it". He found that subject in the humble soup can, a product that was accessible and consumed by people from all walks of life.
The Campbell's Soup Cans caused a sensation in the art world. Some people found the paintings obnoxious and deserving of derision, while others were captivated by them. Actor Dennis Hopper purchased one of the paintings for $100. The entire set was eventually sold to Irving Blum for $1,000, who paid Warhol in $100 installments.
The Campbell's Soup Cans were a turning point in Warhol's career. They helped launch him into the spotlight and solidified his reputation as a leading figure in the Pop Art movement. The paintings challenged the fundamental nature and status of fine art, blurring the lines between commercialism and high art. Today, Warhol is known as one of the most influential and renowned American artists of his time.
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The paintings were exhibited at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles
Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans were exhibited at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles in 1962. The exhibition marked the West Coast debut of pop art. It was Warhol's first solo gallery exhibition, curated by Irving Blum, who owned the gallery.
The installation consisted of 32 canvases, each measuring 20 x 16 inches, depicting one of each variety of Campbell's Soup available at the time. The paintings were placed side-by-side on small shelves, as though displayed in a shop, rather than being hung on the wall. This decision, initially made to ensure the paintings were level, took on a new meaning, reflecting the stacked displays used by supermarkets and Warhol's fascination with consumerism.
The exhibition was not an immediate success. Some found the paintings obnoxious and deserving of derision. A neighbouring gallery, in protest, offered real Campbell's Soup cans for sale at 60 cents each. However, actor Dennis Hopper bought one of the paintings for $100, and other members of the art and film scene were captivated by the show. Blum eventually bought back the five paintings he had sold and purchased the entire set for $1000, paying Warhol in $100 instalments.
The exhibition helped to launch Warhol's career and establish him as a leading figure in the pop art movement. It also brought him to the attention of the Campbell Soup Company, which later commissioned two paintings from him and established the Andy Warhol Scholarship Fund with the New York Art Academy.
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Warhol's inspiration came from a suggestion by his friend, Muriel Latow
Andy Warhol is known for his iconic Campbell's Soup Cans paintings, which he produced between November 1961 and June 1962. The set of 32 canvases, each measuring 20 x 16 inches, depicted hand-painted depictions of printed commercial products, in this case, Campbell's Soup cans. Each canvas featured a different variety of soup offered by the company at the time.
Warhol's inspiration for this work came from his friend, Muriel Roberta Latow, an American art expert, gallery owner, interior designer, and erotic author. Born in 1931 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Latow moved to New York City to study interior design and befriended many prominent artists, including Warhol. She opened an art gallery in 1960 and actively participated in the "pop art scene" of the 1960s.
According to one story, Latow attended a dinner at Warhol's in the fall of 1961, where he sought consolation after feeling that his idea of "cartoon" paintings had been capitalised on by other artists. In search of a new idea that would make an impact on the pop art world, Warhol asked his guests for suggestions. Latow proposed that he find something recognisable and ubiquitous in everyday life. In exchange for her idea, she requested that Warhol write her a cheque for $50, which he did on November 23, 1961.
The Campbell's Soup Cans caused a sensation when they were first exhibited in July 1962 at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles. The paintings shocked the art community and altered the course of art history, with some deeming them obnoxious and deserving of derision. Warhol continued to be fascinated with Campbell's Soup Cans, creating numerous variations and experimenting with layouts. He also explored other themes in pop art, including Coca-Cola bottles and celebrity portraits, but his soup cans remain one of his most radical and groundbreaking works.
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The paintings were placed on shelves, recalling the stacked displays used by supermarkets
Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans, produced between November 1961 and June 1962, is a significant work of art that propelled the artist's career and cemented his place in the pop art movement. The series consists of 32 canvases, each depicting a Campbell's Soup can variety available at the time.
Warhol's inspiration for the series is often attributed to a suggestion made by his friend and advisor, Muriel Latow, who encouraged him to paint something easily recognisable, such as a can of Campbell's Soup. The artist himself was a fan of the brand, claiming to have consumed Campbell's Soup daily for two decades.
When exhibited at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles in 1962, the paintings were placed on shelves rather than hung on walls. This decision, made by curator Irving Blum, was initially a practical solution to ensure the canvases were level. However, it also evoked the stacked displays of supermarkets, reflecting Warhol's fascination with consumerism and his desire to replicate the mundane familiarity of products on shelves.
The presentation of the paintings on shelves contributed to the overall impact of the installation. Lined up side by side, they resembled cans of soup on a grocery store shelf, reinforcing the theme of consumerism and the artist's interest in exploring the boundaries between art and commercialism. This display method also highlighted the uniformity and repetition inherent in mass-produced goods, further emphasising the concept of consumer culture.
The Campbell's Soup Cans series challenged traditional notions of art by appropriating imagery from popular culture. By elevating the humble soup can to the status of fine art, Warhol questioned the nature and status of artistic creation. This controversial approach sparked debates about the role of the artist and the value of popular culture in the art world.
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Warhol's paintings helped launch his career and brought him household name status
Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans series is widely considered a pivotal moment in his career, propelling him to household name status and solidifying his place in the art world. Created between November 1961 and June 1962, the series consists of 32 canvases, each depicting a different variety of Campbell's Soup. The paintings were first exhibited in July 1962 at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, marking Warhol's first solo gallery exhibition.
The Campbell's Soup Cans series was a bold departure from traditional fine art. Warhol's goal was to create paintings that resembled the commercial product images that were becoming prevalent in American pop culture. He achieved this by using silkscreen painting, which allowed for quick replication and a mechanical aesthetic. This style drained the works of their artistic meaning, accentuating their banality and challenging the fundamental nature and status of art itself.
The exhibition of the Campbell's Soup Cans series caused a sensation. While some found the paintings obnoxious, others were captivated. Actor Dennis Hopper purchased one of the paintings, and the gallerist, Irving Blum, eventually bought the entire set, recognising their significance. Over time, as critics and the public warmed to Warhol's daring fusion of commercialism and art, his reputation grew.
The Campbell's Soup Cans series brought Warhol widespread recognition and helped establish him as a leading figure in Pop Art. By the time he created Oyster Stew in 1969, he had been exploiting the potential of silkscreen printing for over eight years, perfecting his ambition to paint "like a machine". Warhol's appropriation of the soup can image crystallised an American vision of prosperity and industrial fabrication, using a familiar brand to reveal its excessive abundance.
The success of the Campbell's Soup Cans series launched Warhol's career and solidified his status as a household name. His unique approach to art, which challenged conventions and embraced popular culture, secured his place in the canon of American art. The series also had a lasting impact on the art world, with Warhol's works becoming some of the most sought-after in the years that followed. In 1996, the Museum of Modern Art in New York offered $15 million for the full set of 32 Campbell's Soup Cans paintings.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Andy Warhol created a series of 32 paintings of Campbell's Soup cans, each measuring 20 x 16 inches. The paintings were exhibited in 1962 at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles.
Warhol wanted to create something that was "the essence of nothing" and chose to paint Campbell's Soup cans as they were a recognisable product of popular culture. He also ate Campbell's Soup every day for 20 years and believed that it was a quintessential American product.
Warhol's Campbell's Soup paintings sent shockwaves through the art community and altered the direction of art history. They are considered to be some of his most radical and groundbreaking works and helped to launch his career, turning him into a household name. The paintings also helped to usher in Pop Art as a major art movement in the United States.
