One of Andy Warhol’s first ever artworks to achieve international acclaim, the subject matter here is simple: the humble Campbell’s Soup can. The Campbell's Soup series — comprised of 32 individual canvases, each dedicated to a different flavour offered by the company — is essentially responsible for catapulting Warhol, and the Pop Art movement he founded, to stardom.
Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe was made using silkscreen printing — one of 7 techniques that would go on to define Warhol’s career — these first images are amongst some of the most recognisable in the world.
Another instantly recognisable work from Warhol’s œuvre, Banana (1966) became world-famous as the cover image for The Velvet Underground’s seminal experimental rock album, The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967).
Produced following the iconic Flower series, the Mao series marks Warhol’s return to portraiture, and is one of his most famous. Product of Warhol’s intense interest in fame, the series is inspired by both Richard Nixon’s historical 1972 visit to China, and an article that appeared in Life magazine in the same year. This opinion piece asserted that Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong was the ‘most famous’ person on earth at the time.
Self-Portrait (Fright Wig) (1986) is another of Warhol’s most well-known artworks. Produced in the year preceding his death, the piece features its appearance-obsessed creator's trademark platinum wig — or his ‘Fright Wig’, as he called it.