May 12, 2022 - Sale 2604

Sale 2604 - Lot 251

Price Realized: $ 7,500
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 8,000 - $ 12,000
ANDY WARHOL
You're In.

Spray-painted Coca-Cola glass bottle with metal bottle cap, 1966-67. 205x57x57 mm; 8 1/8x2 1/4x2 1/4 inches. Initialed in felt-tip pen on the bottle cap.

Provenance: Private collection, New York.

Published: O'Connor and Liu, Unseen Warhol, Cologne: Taschen, 1996, page 120 (another example illustrated); Frei and Printz, The Andy Warhol Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings and Sculptures 1964-1969, London: Phaidon, 2004, vol. 2B, page 280, number 1937.12 (another example illustrated); Hickey, Andy Warhol "Giant" Size, London: Phaidon, 2006, page 135 (another example illustrated).

In 1967, the Arts Council of the Philadelphia Y.M.H.A. organized the exhibit "Museum of Merchandise," which aimed to explore "a philosophic approach to art, bridging the gap between artist and designer... to take the artist our of the ivory tower and put him into the control tower." Works for sale included Warhol's (1928-1987) You're In, silver Coca-Cola bottles filled with cheap "toilet water" perfume ("Silver Lining" by Cassell).

Though over-budget, "Museum of Merchandise," May 11-28, 1967, was successful and garnered significant press coverage. Warhol's You're In was discontinued once Coca-Cola Company executives became aware of their bottles being re-branded under a crude pun.