- 16
Andy Warhol
Description
- Andy Warhol
- Soup Box
- signed and dated 86 on the overlap
- silkscreen ink on canvas
- 20 1/8 by 19 7/8 in.
- 51 by 50.7 cm
- Executed in 1986, this work is stamped by the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board, Inc., and numbered A112.103 on the overlap.
Provenance
Private Collection, Japan (acquired by the present owner from the above circa 1990)
Condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Art inspired by Campbell's soup re-emerged in Andy Warhol's career some 25 years after it launched him as an artist. In 1962 the soup company had tried to sue the arriviste Andy Warhol for copyright infringement of their soup can label designs, in the silkscreen prints which shortly thereafter lifted his career (and celebrity) into a higher orbit. In 1985, Campbell's commissioned Warhol to create a painting based on the package design of their new line of soups in boxes; a painting they arranged to be displayed at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Intrigued by the idea of revamping this seminal motif, Warhol conceived of a series of paintings, using all the package designs, in various color combinations. Encouraged by dealer and collector Martin S. Blinder, he created over 100 square canvases in 20-inch and 14-inch sizes, which were exhibited in Los Angeles by Michael Kohn in 1986. The exhibition was accompanied, by an excellent catalogue, including essays and a transcription of a memorable interview between Blinder, Warhol and Kohn. This was the last major project of Warhol's career, ironically a bookend complementing the soup cans which had effectively launched it.