Leo Martínez
Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans is a seminal work of pop art, consisting of 32 canvases, each depicting a Campbell's Soup can—one of each variety the company offered at the time. Warhol created the series between November 1961 and June 1962, and it was first exhibited in July 1962 at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles. The work caused a sensation, with some critics deriding the paintings as obnoxious and unworthy of the title of art. Today, the Campbell's Soup Cans are recognised as a radical and groundbreaking masterpiece, challenging the fundamental nature and status of art and paving the way for the Pop Art movement.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of canvases | 32 |
| Canvas height | 20 inches (51 cm) |
| Canvas width | 16 inches (41 cm) |
| Number of soup varieties | 32 |
| Painting style | Hand-painted, spray painting, rubber stamping, silkscreen |
| Paint type | Acrylic with metallic enamel, synthetic polymer |
| Curator | Ann Temkin |
| Gallery | Ferus Gallery, Los Angeles |
| Owner | Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) |
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What You'll Learn
- Andy Warhol created 32 Campbell's Soup Can paintings
- The paintings were created between November 1961 and June 1962
- Each painting depicts a different flavour of Campbell's Soup
- The paintings were hand-painted but designed to look mechanical
- The paintings were exhibited in 1962 at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles
Andy Warhol created 32 Campbell's Soup Can paintings
Warhol's Campbell's Soup Can paintings are considered groundbreaking and radical, challenging the fundamental nature and status of fine art. The paintings appear at first glance to be mechanically produced, but upon closer inspection, subtle variations in the application of paint reveal that they were in fact hand-painted. This contradiction between the mechanical and the unique reflects Warhol's interest in exploring the concept of repetition in art. By reproducing the fronts of soup cans, Warhol blurred the lines between the artist and the copyist, between high art and popular culture.
Warhol's use of a recognisable and ubiquitous subject matter, such as a can of Campbell's Soup, was intentional. He wanted to find something that was "recognisable to almost everybody" and that people saw "every day". This decision was also influenced by his own diet, as he claimed to have eaten Campbell's Soup for lunch every day for 20 years. By choosing this familiar and mundane subject, Warhol elevated a commonplace object to the status of fine art, crystallising an American vision of prosperity and industrial fabrication.
The creation of the Campbell's Soup Can paintings involved various techniques, including silk screening, rubber stamping, and hand painting. Warhol experimented with these methods to achieve the desired effect of making the soup cans look as plain and direct as possible, as if they had leaped straight from the supermarket shelf onto his canvases. This attention to detail extended to the reproduction of the soup can labels, for which Warhol cut stencils and mixed oil- and water-based paints to capture the speckled look of tarnished tin.
The exhibition of the 32 Campbell's Soup Can paintings in 1962 caused a sensation. The paintings were displayed side-by-side on small shelves, resembling a shop display. While some found the paintings obnoxious and deserving of derision, others were captivated by them. The actor Dennis Hopper purchased one of the paintings, and the gallery director, Irving Blum, eventually bought back the five paintings he had sold and acquired the entire set for $1,000. This exhibition marked a turning point in the recognition of Pop Art and Warhol's career, with his Campbell's Soup Can paintings recognised as visionary and exemplary.
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The paintings were created between November 1961 and June 1962
Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans were created between November 1961 and June 1962. The work consists of 32 canvases, each measuring 20 inches (51 cm) in height and 16 inches (40.6-41 cm) in width. Each canvas features a painting of a Campbell's Soup can, representing each of the canned soup varieties the company offered at the time.
Warhol's transition from commercial illustrator to painter is evident in his hand-painted depictions of printed imagery deriving from commercial products and popular culture. This shift towards pop art is further emphasised by his choice of subject matter—the Campbell's Soup can. By selecting an object of mass consumption, Warhol challenged the fundamental nature and status of fine art.
Warhol's intention was to make his soup paintings appear as plain and direct as possible, as if the cans had been taken straight from a supermarket shelf. To achieve this effect, he employed various techniques, including cutting stencils to perfect the product labels and mixing oil- and water-based paints to capture the tarnished look of the tin. Despite their mechanical appearance, each painting is unique, with irregularities in paint application and variations in soup flavours.
The creation of the Campbell's Soup Cans series occurred during a pivotal moment in Warhol's career. In March 1962, art critic David Bourdon visited Warhol's studio and viewed his soup can paintings. This led to his work being featured in a Time magazine article in May 1962, propelling Warhol into the spotlight. The paintings were subsequently exhibited at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles in July 1962, marking Warhol's first solo gallery exhibition and the West Coast debut of pop art.
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Each painting depicts a different flavour of Campbell's Soup
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, with each can depicting a different flavour of soup.
Warhol's goal was to make his soup paintings look as plain and direct as possible, as though the cans had leaped straight from the supermarket shelf onto his canvases. To achieve this, he had to employ various techniques, such as cutting stencils to get the labels just right and mixing oil- and water-based paints to capture the speckled look of a can's tarnished tin.
Each of the 32 canvases depicts one of the 32 canned soup varieties that Campbell's offered at the time. The paintings may initially appear to be mechanically produced, but upon closer inspection, irregularities in the paint application reveal that they were painted by hand. For example, the fleurs-de-lis were applied with a rubber stamp, and their spacing and opacity vary from canvas to canvas.
The flavours of soup depicted in the paintings include Cheddar Cheese, which features two bright yellow banners with black lettering, one exclaiming "New!" and the other declaring, "Great as a sauce, too!".
The Campbell's Soup Cans series marked a turning point in Warhol's career, with the artist transitioning from hand-painted to photo-transferred art. The series is considered one of the defining creations of the Pop Art movement, challenging the fundamental nature and status of fine art.
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The paintings were hand-painted but designed to look mechanical
Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans are among the most well-known images in American modern art. Initially created as a series of 32 canvases in 1962, the paintings gained international acclaim as a breakthrough in Pop Art. Each canvas measured 20 inches (51 cm) in height and 16 inches (41 cm) in width, with a painting of a Campbell's Soup can—one of each variety the company offered at the time.
The paintings were hand-painted by Warhol but designed to look mechanical. He experimented with hand painting and spray painting through a stencil cutout, as well as rubber stamping images. In January 1962, he began stamping with engraved art gum erasers onto canvas and paper, using acrylic paint. He also projected enlarged images of the soup cans onto the canvas and then worked freehand, without a pencil, to create a painterly result.
Warhol's goal was to make his soup paintings look as plain and direct as possible, as though the cans had leaped straight from the supermarket shelf onto his canvases. To achieve this effect, he had to come up with clever techniques, such as cutting stencils to get the product's labels just right and mixing oil- and water-based paints to capture the speckled look of a can's tarnished tin.
The mechanical appearance of the paintings was further enhanced by the use of silk-screen printing, which created a level of precision that matched the design of the cans. This adaptation of a medium typically used for advertisements contributed to the series' intriguing juxtaposition between pure replication and the artist's hand. The slight variations in lettering and the hand-stamped fleurs-de-lis symbols at the bottom of each can reveal the human touch behind the seemingly mechanical images.
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The paintings were exhibited in 1962 at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles
In 1962, Andy Warhol exhibited his now-iconic Campbell's Soup Cans at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles. The exhibition, which ran from July 9 to August 4, 1962, marked Warhol's first solo gallery exhibition and the West Coast debut of pop art.
The exhibition consisted of 32 canvases, each measuring 20 inches (51 cm) in height and 16 inches (40.6-41 cm) in width. Each canvas depicted a Campbell's Soup can, representing the 32 varieties of soup offered by the company at the time. The paintings were displayed side-by-side on small shelves, evoking the image of a supermarket shelf. This presentation reinforced the theme of repetition and popular culture that Warhol sought to explore through his art.
Warhol's choice to paint Campbell's Soup cans was intentional and symbolic. He wanted to find an image that was "recognizable to almost everybody," something that was a part of everyday life. Campbell's Soup, with its distinct and ubiquitous presence in American culture, embodied this idea. The paintings may have initially appeared to be mechanically produced due to their clean, graphic style and uniformity. However, upon closer inspection, each canvas revealed subtle variations in the application of paint and the details of the soup can labels.
The exhibition garnered mixed reactions from the art world and the public. Some members of the art and film scene, such as the actor Dennis Hopper, were captivated by the show and purchased paintings. However, others found the paintings obnoxious and deserving of derision. The neighbouring gallery even protested by offering real Campbell's Soup Cans for sale at 60 cents apiece. Despite the polarising responses, the exhibition's impact was undeniable. It propelled Warhol into the spotlight and solidified his reputation as a pioneering pop artist.
Following the exhibition, the gallerist Irving Blum bought back the five paintings that had been sold and purchased the remaining canvases, acquiring the complete set of 32 for $1,000. This decision proved to be a wise investment, as the value of Warhol's work would increase exponentially in the years to come.
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Frequently asked questions
Andy Warhol painted 32 Campbell's Soup cans between November 1961 and June 1962.
Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup cans were exhibited at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, California, in July 1962. This was Warhol's first solo gallery exhibition.
Warhol was inspired to paint Campbell's Soup cans by his muse, Latow. Latow suggested that Warhol "find something that's recognizable to almost everybody... Something like a can of Campbell's Soup."
