Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Tomato-Beef Noodle O’s 61 by Andy Warhol depicts a familiar Campbell’s soup can rendered with crisp graphic clarity. The red upper label curves smoothly above a white lower field, while the product name “Tomato-Beef Noodle O’s” appears in playful red lettering punctuated by bright yellow “O’s.” The golden medallion seal sits centrally, anchoring the composition. Flat color, sharp outlines, and precise typography give the image the authority of commercial packaging enlarged to monumental scale.
Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Tomato-Beef Noodle O’s as Part of the Second Soup Portfolio
Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Tomato-Beef Noodle O’s 61 is one of ten prints from Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans II portfolio, published in 1969. The series followed Campbell’s Soup I and arrived several years after Warhol’s original 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans paintings. Rather than repeating identical labels, this second portfolio introduced rarer flavors and individualized graphic elements, signaling a subtle evolution in Warhol’s approach.
Moreover, the Soup II prints retain the instantly recognizable structure of the Campbell’s label while allowing variation to emerge within repetition. Each can preserves the commercial template Americans knew well, yet each also asserts its own visual identity.
Label Design, Color, and Graphic Play
In Tomato-Beef Noodle O’s 61, Warhol replaces the traditional seal treatment with playful typographic emphasis. The product name bends slightly across the can’s surface, with the yellow “O’s” popping forward against the red text. As a result, the label feels animated, almost cartoonish, while remaining faithful to the logic of advertising design.
At the same time, Warhol’s flat application of color and refusal of shading suppress illusion and depth. This tension between liveliness and rigidity reinforces his ongoing interest in repetition, mass production, and visual saturation—principles that also appear in works such as Hot Dog Bean 59 and Chicken N’ Dumplings 58.
Provenance, Gift, and Personal History
In 1968, Valerie Solanas shot Andy Warhol, leaving him critically injured. Vascular surgeon Giuseppe Rossi performed the extensive surgery that saved Warhol’s life. In gratitude, Warhol later gifted Dr. Rossi a group of his prints. Notably, Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Tomato-Beef Noodle O’s 61 was among those works, giving this print a direct and personal connection to one of the most pivotal moments in Warhol’s life.
Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Tomato-Beef in Warhol’s Larger Body of Work
Warhol often acknowledged his personal attachment to Campbell’s Soup, famously remarking that he ate it daily for decades. Yet these images extend beyond autobiography. Instead, they crystallize his broader investigation into value, repetition, and cultural visibility. Although the soup cans initially provoked skepticism, they soon became foundational works of Pop Art.
Today, Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Tomato-Beef Noodle O’s 61 stands as both an iconic consumer image and a defining statement within Warhol’s oeuvre. By balancing uniformity with variation, the print demonstrates how everyday packaging could become a lasting symbol of modern art.
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.
