To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Andy Warhol’s 1962 famed work, 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans, Campbell Soup Company is introducing limited-edition cans of Campbell’s Tomato soup with labels derived from original Warhol artwork. The four specially-designed labels reflect Warhol’s pop-art style and use vibrant, eye-catching color combinations like orange and blue, and pink and teal.
When asked why he painted Campbell’s soup cans, Warhol famously quipped, “I used to have the same [Campbell’s soup] lunch every day for twenty years.” For his first solo gallery exhibition held in Los Angeles in 1962, Warhol exhibited his famous paintings of Campbell’s soup – 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans.
Each of the thirty-two canvases depicted one variety of soup and was displayed side-by-side like cans of soup on a grocery store shelf. The painting helped launch Warhol’s career and ushered in Pop Art as a major art movement in the United States. “Campbell’s Condensed soup is an iconic brand. And thanks to Andy Warhol’s inspired paintings, Campbell’s soup will always be linked to the Pop Art movement,” says Ed Carolan, vice president & general manager, Campbell North America. “This Fall, to honor the golden anniversary of his first gallery exhibit, we’ll celebrate Warhol and soup by releasing limited-edition Campbell’s Tomato soup cans and making Andy’s art available in the soup aisle of grocery stores.”
“In 1962, Andy Warhol changed the trajectory of contemporary art by depicting Campbell soup cans on canvas,” says Michael Hermann, director of licensing at The Andy Warhol Foundation. “It is only fitting that fifty years later we celebrate the enduring legacy of these two American icons by coming full circle and bringing his art back to the Campbell soup cans that provided him with inspiration.” The limited-edition cans were produced under license from The Andy Warhol Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation that promotes the visual arts. Beginning Sunday, Sept. 2, the cans will be exclusively available at most Target locations nationwide for $.75 per 10.75-ounce can, while supplies last. Additionally, Campbell Soup Company has partnered with The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as an Education Sponsor for the “Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years,” exhibition, which opens Sept. 18.
