Explore the Subsequent publicity about the Premiere of this artwork, Campbell's Soup Cans.
In August, Warhol's pop art had its first museum presentation in a survey show at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut. This show resulted in Warhol's first fine-art review in The New York Times. Regarding some of Warhol's Campbell's Soup can paintings, the review stated, "These are no mere unruly incidents but big steps towards art that is socially to the point."Although an early review announced that Warhol was to have a gallery arrangement with Martha Jackson in New York (along with Willem de Kooning, Adolph Gottlieb, Oldenburg, and Dine), Jackson sent word that she was canceling a promised December exhibition, noting "The introduction of your paintings has already had very bad repercussions for us." News of her cancellation came before the Ferus exhibition ended. Even though she cancelled his exhibition, her assistant John Weber sold ten Warhol paintings that she had taken on consignment.In August, when Sidney Janis invited Warhol to present as part of the Sidney Janis Gallery's late October exhibition entitled "The New Realists: An Exhibition of Factual Painting & Sculpture", it was still unclear to Janis if Warhol's preferred referent was Andy or Andrew. Warhol exhibited a canvas with 200 soup cans (200 Soup Cans) and another that presented a human-sized Beef Noodle Soup (Big Campbell's Soup Can), as well as 19¢ and Do It Yourself (Flowers) alongside works by Oldenburg, Lichtenstein, and others. The New Yorker said the exhibition "hit the New York art world with the force of an earthquake. Within a week tremors had spread to art centers throughout the country." A Kansas City newspaper ran the headline "Which Way Is Modern Art Going? Hold Your Breath and Watch the Soup Cans".After Jackson cast Warhol aside, Emile de Antonio brought Warhol and his ex-girlfriend, Eleanor Ward, together. After a bit of encouragement and drinking, Ward said that if Warhol would paint her a two-dollar bill she would give him a show. Warhol's first New York solo Pop exhibit opened at Ward's Stable Gallery on November 6, 1962. The exhibit included Marilyn Diptych, but no soup cans were on display, even though they were on guest badges. Warhol's invitations to the exhibit included a quote from a college art student's perception of the message Warhol's soup can paintings conveyed: "I love soup, and I love it when other people love soup too, because then we can all love it together and love each other at the same time." Warhol earned important praise for this exhibition, including from Michael Fried, who had been harsh with him 12 years earlier.
Martha Jackson gallery canvas The New Yorker Wadsworth Atheneum Emile de Antonio Hartford, Connecticut table dollar bill pop art Marilyn Diptych Campbell's Soup perception Willem de Kooning exhibition two-dollar bill Michael Fried The New York Times Adolph Gottlieb Sidney Janis New York Modern Kansas City consignment Time