The American Supermarket

The American Supermarket was a 1964 pop art exhibition held at the Paul Bianchini Gallery on East 78th Street.[1] Art collector and artist, Ben Birillo,[2] was asked to curate the show.[3] The gallery was set up to mimic super market aisles where the art work was displayed, along with plastic replicas of food.[4] Calvin Tomkins reviewed the exhibition for Time magazine.[5] Grace Glueck reviewed the opening for the New York Times noting that on the eve of the opening collector Robert Scull removed his Jasper John's sculpture of beer cans from the exhibition because he did not want anyone touching it.[6]

The exhibition displayed works by Billy Apple, Richard Artschwager, Mary Inman, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist, Andy Warhol, Robert Watts, and Tom Wesselmann.[7]

Specifically created for the show were shopping bags, one by Warhol had an image of a Campbell’s tomato soup can, and another has an image of a turkey by Lichtenstein. Examples of the bags are in the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum.[8]

References

  1. ^ "MoMA Is Thankful". Inside/Out. MoMA. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  2. ^ "Ben Birillo, the Curator Who Once Helped Launch the Pop Art Movement, Is Showing His Own Art in New York". Artnet News. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  3. ^ "Ben Birillo". Feoli Fine Art. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  4. ^ Doak, Erin (21 November 2022). "The Pop Artists That Loved Food". Artsper Magazine. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  5. ^ Cohen, Alina (3 November 2018). "Why Pop Artists Were Obsessed with Food". Artsy. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  6. ^ Glueck, Grace (8 October 1964). "GALLERY MARKET HAWKS ART ON RYE; Store Display Is Set Up for Pop Food Creations". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  7. ^ "The Grand Opening of the American Supermarket". Specific Object. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Ben Birillo". Saint Louis Art Museum. Retrieved 19 May 2025.

Media related to The American Supermarket at Wikimedia Commons

Further reading

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