Andy Warhol's Love Affair With Campbell's Canned Soup

Artists may be familiar with the advice to paint what you love. Andy Warhol certainly did. In 1962, the artist created 32 paintings of Campbell's canned soups. Originally displayed in rows to imitate how they're stocked on grocery store shelves, each canvas depicts a different flavor, spanning from classic tomato to comforting chicken noodle. Now a permanent fixture in New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Warhol's "Campbell's Soup Cans" represent pop art's capacity to celebrate ordinary objects. Of the 1960s art movement that became as iconic as the items it highlighted, he emphasized, "Pop art is about liking things" (via The Andy Warhol Museum).

Ironically, in not liking his career, Warhol itched for a muse. Feeling unfulfilled in his work as a commercial artist in New York City, he designed store window displays while watching his peers host art shows and receive raving reviews. Feeling jealous, Warhol sought out inspiration. In 1961, he found it during a dinner party turned brainstorming session. For a fee of $50, art dealer Muriel Latow offered an idea that would change Warhol's life. She suggested painting something that everyone would recognize, "Something like a can of Campbell's soup" (via Smithsonian Magazine). He embarked on his new project the very next day. Despite concerns from college friends, he fixated on bringing the cans to canvas. Turns out, just as Campbell's soup was (and still is) a signature food found in many Americans' pantries, Warhol himself spent decades eating it as a daily meal.

History reveals that Andy Warhol's inspiration to paint Campbell's soup didn't come from a divine muse (although perhaps Muriel Latow would have considered herself such). The artist credited the decision to his eating habits. When asked about it, Warhol famously answered, "I used to have the same lunch every day, for 20 years, I guess, the same thing over and over again," according to the MoMA. While it's hard to imagine eating the same meal daily, though you can easily elevate canned tomato soup with leftover greens, it's no wonder the long-term love of Campbell's soup inspired his art after sating his stomach for so long.

Another major part of his appreciation for the signature soup stems from its consistency and the dependability of each can's contents. When it comes to popular canned consumables like Campbell's soup, Warhol once observed that they transcend class differences. Speaking on another classically American product, Coca-Cola, in his autobiography "The Philosophy of Andy Warhol," he emphasized: "All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good." Any American who consumes the soda, like the soup, is indulging in the same tastes and textures as any other — even the president. After eating so much Campbell's soup, Warhol would certainly be familiar with its uniformity. In fact, it's likely what influenced him to paint each flavor in nearly identical styles and use a photographic silkscreen printing technique in future works.

It may come as a surprise, but Campbell's soup cans didn't always feature the signature red-and-white color scheme that Andy Warhol became intimately familiar with. Campbell's launched its first ready-to-eat soup in 1895 (tomato-flavored, of course) before switching to condensed soups in 1897, lowering the price dramatically and setting the standard for today's modern shelf-stable soups. However, these early cans were blue and orange. By the next year, the color scheme changed. Interestingly, the company's treasurer, Herberton L. Williams, left a Cornell football game inspired by the university's white and red uniforms — and the rest is history. The packaging hasn't changed much since, although Campbell's released a limited-edition series of cans in 2012 with Warhol-inspired packaging, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his iconic artwork. 

Another element of Campbell's soup has remained relatively the same: the flavors. While Pepper Pot, a previously popular canned Campbell's soup, was discontinued in 2010, the vast majority of the brand's offerings remain on store shelves. There have only been a few additions to the selection of soups since the 1960s, the most significant being the "Well Yes!" campaign, introducing nine original flavors in 2016. However, Campbell's recently announced its first limited-edition flavor, grilled cheese and tomato soup, in celebration of National Grilled Cheese Day on April 12. This comforting twist on a classic flavor won't be around for long, but if the brand made it in the 1960s, Andy Warhol probably would've loved it.