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Campbell’s Soup Cans I: Consommé 52 is a print by Andy Warhol published in 1968. It is one of ten screenprints included in his Campbell’s Soup Cans I portfolio, which depicts ten flavors of Campbell’s Soup. Warhol originally painted the soups in his 1962 work, 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans. Six years later, he returned to the concept using the silkscreen technique, which allowed him to create an even closer replication of Campbell’s original product. The following year, Warhol created Campbell’s Soup Cans II, another portfolio of ten soup cans. In the second portfolio, Warhol added his own illustrations, giving the soups a more artistic flair.
When Warhol debuted the original soups in 1962 at the Ferus gallery in Los Angeles, the exhibit received mixed reviews. It resembled a grocery store aisle, and the images shocked many artists and critics. The exhibit, which audaciously showcased a simple commercial product, offended some audiences. Moreover, critics thought the subject matter of Warhol’s show was overtly materialistic, and lacked artistic merit and artistic depth. However, the legendary soup cans do not lend themselves to a formalist interpretation, as many art lovers of the time were used to. Campbell’s Soup Cans I: Consommé 52 and similar images are rich in a conceptual sense, and highlight Warhol’s ability to break the mold of his time.
