Goodbye, Campbell’s Soup
A natural disaster in Los Angeles destroyed thirty unique works by one of the most controversial creators in art history.
Andy Warhol, still hailed today as an innovator and revolutionary, once said: “An artist is somebody who produces things that people don't need to have. But he feels that giving them to people is his calling.”
Warhol’s calling gifted the world with countless works that transformed how we see the seemingly ordinary.
Take, for example, one of his most iconic paintings: Campbell’s Soup Can. Warhol painted it simply because he loved soup and often ate it straight from the can.
He was also captivated by the phenomenon of mass consumption. He depicted Coca-Cola bottles, fascinated by how this one fizzy drink united everyone, from presidents to factory workers.
Warhol believed art should be accessible, its meaning always on the surface. Most importantly, he painted only what he loved, thought about, and admired.
Фото: Instagram / thewarholmuseum
But tragically, much of what the king of pop art left behind was recently destroyed in the raging wildfires sweeping through Los Angeles.
The devastating news was shared by renowned art collector Ron Rivlin, who owns major works by contemporary American artists such as Damien Hirst, Keith Haring, John Baldessari, and Andy Warhol. Around two hundred pieces from his collection were reduced to ashes, including Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Superman, and Mickey Mouse. In the rush of evacuation, Rivlin managed to save only three Warhol paintings, the titles of which remain undisclosed.
The loss of Warhol’s works will leave a significant mark on the art market, highlighting the fragility of cultural heritage and the urgency of preserving it.
It’s easy to believe that the masterpieces we grew up with will live forever; after all, they carry not only paint and canvas but the spirit of their time. Warhol’s works, emblems of American culture, perished in the flames, leaving behind the bitter smoke of a lost legacy. Yet their spirit endures, in every daring outfit, every bold decision, and in the belief that art is more than decor: it is a world we should pause to notice.
Perhaps this loss will teach us a valuable lesson to protect the beauty around us a little more than we did before.
