Hammer and Sickle

Andy Warhol was obsessed with portraying everyday objects, whether drawing women’s shoes and elegant cakes in the 1950s, printing silkscreens of Campbell’s Soup Cans and Brillo Boxes in the ’60s, or taking polaroids of hammers, skulls, and crosses in the ’70s and ’80s. According to Warhol, still lifes—especially those showcasing the mundane items of consumer culture—have the ability to connect the masses. “What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest,” he explained. “You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you can know that the President drinks Coke. Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too.”