Soup Can (Original), 2005
Editions: 50 signed, 250 unsigned
Depicting a single can of cream of tomato soup can with the familiar branding of the now defunct Tesco Value range, Banksy’s Soup Can is an obvious nod to Andy Warhol’s famous 1962 series of Campbell’s Soup Can paintings and prints.
Contrary to Warhol’s homage to the endlessly reproduced images of consumer society, here Banksy offers a biting criticism of the supermarket giant who has come to take over the contemporary marketplace. Printed in three colors on a cream background the print evokes the vintage aesthetic that is now called upon by supermarkets such as Tesco to sell British products. Here Banksy denounces the omnipresence of the Tesco supermarkets, with their openly stated desire to establish even more stores in the country and to rival small independent greengrocers.
Soup Can (Mint/Orange/Brown), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans are perhaps the most well-known and iconic images from American modern art. Initially created as a series of 32 canvases in 1962, the soup cans gained international acclaim as a breakthrough in Pop Art. When the paintings were first exhibited, they were displayed together like products at a grocery store.
Each Soup Can corresponds to a different flavor and resembles the actual image of the red and white Campbell’s Soup Cans. Though they appeared identical to the well-known grocery items, the artist’s handiwork is made obvious through the slight variations in the lettering and in the hand-stamped fleur-de-lis symbols on the bottom of each can. This juxtaposition between pure replication and the artist’s hand makes the series all the more intriguing.
Banksy released Soup Can in 2005 with a single Soup Can in various colorways.
In 2006, Banksy released a version with Four Soup Cans in various colorways.
Four Soup Cans (Gold on Cream), 2006
Edition: 54 signed
DESCRIPTION
Soup Can
Medium: Screen-print in colors on wove paper
Size: 50×35 cm (19 1/2 x 13 3/4 inches)
Publisher: Pictures on Walls
Editions
Soup Can (Original)
Signed Edition: 50
Unsigned Edition: 250
Soup Can (Colorways)
28 Colorways: 10 signed each
There is a total of 280 colorways for Soup Can
Four Soup Cans
Medium: Screen-print in colors on wove paper
Size: 70×50 cm (27 1/2 x 13 3/4 inches)
Publisher: Pictures on Walls
Editions
Blue and Red on Cream: 10 signed
Blue and Red on Grey: 2 signed
COLORWAYS
Pictures on Walls Release Screen
Soup Can (Banana/Cherry/Dark Blue), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Banana/Lime/Purple), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Banana/Orange, Hot Pink), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Lilac/Emerald, Purple), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Mint/Emerald, Cherry), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Mint/Orange/Brown), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Pale Lilac/Cherry/Mint), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Pale Lilac/Lime/Dark Blue), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Pink/Cherry/Sky Blue), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Pink/Emerald/Raspberry), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Pink/Lime/Hot Pink), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Purple/Orange/Blue), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Sage Green/Cherry/Tan), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Sage Green/Lime/Cherry), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Violet/Blue/Tan), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Violet/Cherry/Beige), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (Violet/Orange/Mint), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Soup Can (White/Blue/Hot Pink), 2005
Edition: 10 signed
Four Soup Cans (Gold on Grey), 2006
Edition: 12 signed
Four Soup Cans (Blue and Red on Cream), 2006
Edition: 10 signed
AUCTION RESULTS
Updated as of 15 March 2023
1. Soup Can (unsigned)
Soup Can (unsigned), 2005
Numbered 223/250 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower right
Sotheby’s online: 26 April 2022
Soup Can (unsigned), 2005
Numbered 77/250 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower right
Sotheby’s online: 18 March 2021
2. Soup Can (signed)
Soup Can (signed), 2005
Signed and dated in pencil, lower right
Numbered 45/50 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Christie’s online: 1 April 2021
GBP 75,000 / USD 103,500
3. Soup Can (Colorways)
Soup Can (White/Emerald/Tan), 2005
Signed and dated in pencil, lower right
Numbered 8/10 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Christie’s online: 15 March 2022
GBP 60,480 / USD 79,834
Soup Can (Black Orange Pink), 2005
Signed and dated in pencil, lower right
Numbered 8/10 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Sotheby’s online: 26 April 2022
GBP 50,400 / USD 63,504
Soup Can (Mint/Emerald Green), 2005
Signed and dated in pencil, lower right
Numbered 10/10 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Christie’s online: 23 September 2021
Soup Can (Violet/Orange/Mint), 2005
Signed and dated in pencil, lower right
Numbered 3/10 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Heritage Auctions: 22 April 2021
Soup Can (Banana/Cherry/Blue), 2005
Signed and dated in pencil, lower right
Numbered 4/10 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Sotheby’s online: 18 March 2021
Soup Can (Purple/Orange/Blue), 2005
Signed and Dated in pencil, lower right
Numbered 10/10 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Sotheby’s New-York: 16 December 2020
4. Four Soup Cans
Four Soup Cans (Gold on Cream), 2005
Signed and dated in pencil, lower right
Numbered 26/54 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Christie’s online: 1 April 2021