“Art is anything you can get away with.” – Andy Warhol
During Claudia and I’s trip to New York, I got to check something off my bucket list: seeing Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans” at the Museum of Modern Art.
In addition to it being my favorite work of art, I also love the story behind it…
…and what it can show us about creative work.
Today, the 32 canvases are Warhol’s most famous work and are synonymous with the pop art movement. However, in 1962 when Warhol debuted the set at his first solo exhibition, it was not well received.
Art fans didn’t get it. Art critics snubbed it. A fellow artist even mocked it by displaying actual cans of Campbell’s soup in their gallery.
At the end of the exhibit, only five of the paintings were sold – mostly to friends. However, the gallery owner and exhibition host Irving Blum thought it would be best to keep the 32 canvases together.
So he refunded the buyers and paid Warhol $1,000 (over ten monthly payments) for the whole set. His investment paid off over 30 years later. In 1996, he sold the set to MoMA for $15 million.
I think that this story can show us a lot about creative work…
…art is objectively subjective.
…beauty can be found in the ordinary.
…good work can often be overlooked and undervalued.
…an initial response is not always a the lasting response.
…and when you find creative work that you love, find a way to support its creator. You never know how it might pay off in the end.
Nick Chellsen 