Campbell’s Soup, Superstar
Back-to-school, Part Two. The Soup Edition
A 60th Anniversary
In 1962 at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, Andy Warhol made Campbell’s soup cans the most delicious Superstars.
His paintings, or as he called them “portraits” of cans of the then 32 flavors of Campbell’s Soup were images of a product already deep in the American soul and psyche.
The first can of Campbell’s ready-to-eat soup was introduced in 1895; by 1897 the game-changing condensed variety was available. The first flavor: Beefsteak Tomato.
But why soup cans, Andy?
Warhol started his career as a successful commercial illustrator in New York City in the 1940’s and 50’s. He was fascinated by consumerism, mass production, advertising, art and celebrity, and the idea that Pop Art was for everyone.
Here’s an excerpt from a conversation “What is Pop Art? Interviews with Eight Painters” from 1963 with art critic G.R. Swenson, Warhol apprentice Gerard Malanga and Warhol.
Swenson: Why did you start painting Campbell’s Soup Cans?
Warhol: Because I used to drink it.
Malanga: It tastes good.
Warhol: I used to have the same thing for lunch every day for twenty years.
Swenson: Like, what?
Warhol: Soup and a sandwich.
Pop art is about liking things.
Andy Warhol
But the relationship between Campbell’s Soup and Warhol was at first an uneasy one as a recent piece by Alexandra Peers recounts.
Link: Why Campbell Soup hated, then embraced, Andy Warhol’s soup can paintings
Campbell’s eventual partnership with the Warhol estate presaged the convergence of high art, advertising, branding and fashion that’s commonplace today. — Alexandra Peers
Warhol Embraced by Campbell’s — Image from the Campbell’s Soup website timeline
My first job out of college in 1976 was as an admin for the account team at advertising agency BBDO who were working on the Campbell’s Soup business and had for many years.
I’d regularly see members of the creative and art department teams with story boards tucked under their arms of the latest campaign they were working on for Campbell’s.
In this print ad from 1976, it’s all about nostalgia and brand reliability. The work uses side by side ads, one vintage, to bring home the message “You know it’s always going to taste as good as you remember.” This was 46 years ago, and the message still works today.
M’m! M’m! Good!
I felt like the only thing left to do while researching this piece was to have a bowl of Campbell’s Tomato Soup. I’ve always loved it and usually add milk instead of water for more body.
If you want to make an extra-velvety, luxurious soup out of a can of Campbell’s there’s a way to do it: add cream. When I worked at Sarabeth’s Restaurant in New York this was one of the key ingredients in making Sara’s from-scratch soup so luscious.
For a splurge, 1/2 milk and 1/2 cream is a real treat.
The Museum of Contemporary Art is right next to the farmer’s market I go to every week, so I always pop-in on Tuesday’s and enter through the gift shop.
And there they were on a gift table: Andy and Campbell’s Soup, inextricably linked through time, much more time than a mere 15 minutes of fame. I couldn’t help but think that he would’ve liked this.
(By the way, Andy probably never said “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” A fun article from The Smithsonian Magazine sorts it all out. link: Here )
Final thoughts: Queen Elizabeth II
I was working on this newsletter yesterday when I learned of the passing of Queen Elizabeth in a rather remarkable way.
I’d taken a break and started to scroll through the accounts I follow on Instagram and landed on the Interview Magazine (founded by Andy Warhol in 1969) account. The image was of the Warhol screenprint of Queen Elizabeth in a 1985 issue of the magazine, with the Instagram post noting her passing.
There’s a wonderful article on the Christie’s website (link: here) about the back-and-forth between The Palace and Warhol’s dealer about getting The Queen’s permission to paint her likeness. The first exchange was effectively saying that The Queen would not stand in the way, but had no intention of commenting. The second letter from The Palace (after The Queen received photographs of the finished screenprints) said the following:
I am commanded by The Queen to acknowledge your letter of 11th March and to thank you for sending the photographs of the silkscreen prints by Andy Warhol which Her Majesty was most pleased and interested to see. — Buckingham Palace, 1985
Four of the Warhol prints were purchased by the Royal Collection to mark the 60th Anniversary of The Queen’s coronation. The Christie’s article speculates that she liked them because they were so very different from all other drawings and portraits of her.
Take care, everyone.
Jolene
Sources:
The Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
Campbell’s ©
Christie’s Auction House
The Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Contemporary Art
CNN
Smithsonian Institution
Interview Magazine (Instagram)
I never understood how people could drink Campbell's tomato soup with water instead of milk--or without Ritz crackers. But I also never quite caught the Warhol bug. He was undeniably brilliant at finding and encouraging talent--and every successful art age has had a facilitator like him to thank--but his Marilyn hung on our wall for years, but when it was gone, no one seemed to care or mention it again. Rather like the advertising world that so fascinated him. Great article.
This was such a cool post, Jolene! Warhol’s comment about eating the same lunch every day for twenty years made me laugh since that’s exactly what I did as a child. If I made art starring my childhood lunch of peanut butter sandwiches I unfortunately don’t think the effect would be the same, though 😂
Like a few other people commented, I’d never thought of adding milk or cream to canned tomato soup! Something to try out the next time I’m in the US (I don’t think they have condensed soup here? I’ll have to check!).