Title: Campbell’s Soup II: Oyster Stew (FS II.60)
Medium: Portfolio of Ten Screenprints on Paper
Year: 1969
Size: 35” x 23”
Edition: 250 signed in ballpoint pen and numbered with a rubber stamp on verso.
Andy Warhol created Oyster Stew within the “Campbell’s Soup II” portfolio which is comprised of 10 different prints. Oyster Stew has a yellow banner through the seal reminding the consumer to add whole milk creating an additional visual interest for the viewer. From the portfolio, Oyster Stew is the second print portfolio that Warhol created. The 10 in the first portfolio were flavors like Tomato, Green Pea, Cream of Mushroom, while this portfolio has flavors like Cheddar Cheese and Scotch Broth. Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup cans are considered to be his signature work, and even he considered them to be his favorite due to the ability for him to express individuality throughout the body of work. However, the classic pieces, like this Oyster Stew can, are the ones that remain the most sought after and the ones most frequently desired by the market. When first creating the paintings, Warhol wanted to recreate the mechanic reproduction of the labels themselves. He further advanced his silk screening techniques to produce these prints, to make them look more as if they came from an automated process and hence more artistic and pop-art as opposed to the advertisement.
