What goes around comes around!!! Campbell’s have issued (Today, 2 September) a limited edition of repackaged condensed Tomato soup cans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Andy Warhol’s iconic paintings of the product. In 1962, 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans were turned into canvases which are today valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. The limited-edition cans of Campbell’s® Condensed Tomato soup with labels derived from original Warhol artwork are offered on sale for $.75 at a large chain of superstores in America. The four specially-designed labels reflect Warhol’s pop-art style and use vibrant, eye-catching color combinations like blue with orange, and teal with hot pink.
Michael Hermann, Director of Licensing at The Andy Warhol Foundation stated; “In 1962, Andy Warhol changed the trajectory of contemporary art by depicting Campbell soup cans on canvas,”. “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.”
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,” said 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.”
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 (superstores) locations nationwide in the USA for $.75 per 10.75-ounce can.”