ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)

In 1985 the Coca-Cola Company introduced a new Coke formula. The new product was to be featured in a story for the June issue of Time magazine. Andy Warhol, who began working with images of the brand as early as 1962, was commissioned to create the cover art.
The design was conceived through Warhol’s process of utilizing photography. Warhol spilled a can of New Coke onto paper and captured the result in polaroids, which served as the basis for his composition.
The product was ultimately discontinued after a short run, returning to the classic formula, and the Time story did not make it to print. In the same year, Keith Haring painted an homage to Warhol Andy Mouse against the backdrop of the New Coke label. Warhol’s used Coca-Cola, much like his Campbell’s Soup Cans, as a classic symbol of American mass culture, and also valued the accessibility of a product that could be universally enjoyed.