(Pittsburgh 1928–1987 New York) Campbell’s Noodle Soup Box, 1986, on the overlap stamps of the Estate of Andy Warhol and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, 2x numbered PA90.044, synthetic polymer and silkscreen ink on canvas. 50.8 x 50.8 cm, framed, (PP)

Provenance:
Christie’s London, 6 February 2003, lot 238
Private Collection, Europe

Literature:
Warhol Campbell’s Soup Boxes, exhibition catalogue, Los Angeles, Michael Kohn Gallery, 1986

Andy Warhol worked as a graphic artist before turning to art around 1960. In 1962 he founded, the Factory, which was to become a meeting point for many renowned artists. He soon created his first well-known series with Campbell’s soup cans. His works include themes dealing with modern consumer society and its banal, everyday objects. By means of mass production he turned these works – such as the present work Campbell’s Noodle Soup - into art objects. In Warhol’s work, likenesses of everyday objects become socially critical searches for signs of decay of the consumer and mass culture. The silkscreen printing process, which he adopted from the advertising industry, had not yet become widespread amongst artistic circles. This enabled him to work fast and in series. The uncleaned screens led to individual results and, as a result, unique copies.

The present work is an example from Warhol’s Campbell‘s Soup Boxes series. It shows how daring the works from this series can be, despite the simple, constant image content.

“From an artistic viewpoint, the 80s were a very productive time for Andy Warhol. He had almost no fear of doing what he wanted, even when criticized for being too social, too commercial and too mainstream. He was always an outsider at the centre of culture, contributing to its transformation, and his later works are witness to his inexhaustible ability, fantasy and creative power.” (Exhibition catalogue, Gagosian Gallery, Cast a Cold Eye: The Late World of Andy Warhol, New York 2006)