The Campbell’s Soup Cans II complete portfolio by Andy Warhol comprises 10 prints of the iconic Campbell’s Soup Cans series. It is his third work rendering the common American pantry item. It follows his breakout thirty-two-piece series, Campbell’s Soup Cans (1962), and the 1968 Campbell’s Soup Cans I (1968).
The Campbell’s soup label had become high art in Warhol’s series. Moreover, the portfolio reinforced both the brand a pop culture icon, and Warhol’s reputation as the “Prince of Pop Art.” Additionally, this complete portfolio marked a turning point in Warhol’s evolution as an artist, proving that repetition could be endlessly inventive.
Uniformity and Detail in the Soup Can Prints
The Campbell’s Soup Cans II screenprints show a variation of 10 different Campbell’s soup flavors. Each can rest in the center of its frame, where it aligns exactly with the other sets of images. This symmetry and regularity gave the entire portfolio a uniform, mass-produced aesthetic that Warhol aimed for. As a result, the cans appear graphic and animated like the labels on the actual soup cans.
They also share bold shades of red, yellow, and white with black print lettering that resembles the true Campbell’s style. Furthermore, Warhol decided to include hyper-realistic detailing of shadows and refracting light on the tin lids, making each can slightly unique to its counterpart. The works’ likenesses to one another are further broken with different flavors, slogan designs, and colors.
In addition, the Campbell’s Soup Cans II complete portfolio expands creatively from Campbell’s Soup I with bolder, brighter colors. Moreover, the addition of slogans and catchphrases connect viewers to the product, with more versatility with shape and directionality. For instance, flavors like Hot Dog Bean, Vegetarian Vegetable, and Tomato-Beef Noodle O’s included playful taglines that reflect the cheerful marketing of the time.
Campbell’s Soup Cans II, like the original series, was created via silkscreening—a process rooted in advertising for its precise and bold graphics. However, Warhol repurposed this tool for fine art. Therefore, the portfolio acts as both an extension of Warhol’s “business art” motif and a refinement of his earlier soup can projects.
Warhol’s Personal Connection to Campbell’s Soup
Campbell’s Soup was a convenient staple in Warhol’s daily life. “I used to drink it,” he famously said. “I used to have the same lunch every day, for 20 years, I guess, the same thing over and over again.” It was, in essence, the perfect image to replicate and produce on a broad scale.
However, the very simplicity of the subject invited criticism. Detractors called it too commercial, too repeatable, and too impersonal to be considered high art. Yet Warhol’s seemingly indifferent subject matter was a deliberate provocation. In spite of its apparent apathy, it questioned the belief that art must be deeply expressive or transcendent. Instead, the Campbell’s Soup Cans II complete portfolio reflected everyday life and recognizable social norms.
Ultimately, the Campbell’s Soup Cans II prints and Warhol’s previous soup cans helped to redefine art. By transforming a supermarket staple into a subject for reflection, he forced viewers to reconsider both consumption and creativity. As a result, Warhol’s soup cans defined an era where the conventional and the mundane could become extraordinarily powerful tools (via Pop Art).
Campbell’s Soup Cans II Complete Portfolio as Part of Andy Warhol’s Larger Body of Work
Warhol’s collection of prints representing Campbell’s soup cans is arguably his most iconic and widely recognized endeavor. The Campbell’s Soup Cans portfolios represent many themes that Warhol continued to work with throughout his career, including the powerful role that mass consumption plays in postwar society. Moreover, the semi-mechanized process he used to create these works is a staple characteristic of his creative process. This series helped to usher in the Pop Art movement that endures today, renewed and rediscovered by artists such as Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons.
Photo Credits:
- Andy Warhol tracing Campbell’s Soup silkscreen, The Factory, New York City, circa 1965. © Estate of Nat Finkelstein. © 2021 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by DACS, London.
- Andy Warhol and Gerard Malanga make a painting, 1964.
Vintage gelatin silver print, 10¼ × 14¾ inches; 26 × 38 cm. Photo by Matthew Marks. - Andy Warhol, 1964. Vintage gelatin silver print, 10¼ × 14¾ inches; 26 × 38 cm. Photo by Matthew Marks.
