Absolut Vodka has produced a limited edition Andy Warhol bottle of which only 4 million bottles are available.
Limited Edition Andy Warhol Absolut Vodka
Absolut is paying homage to the artist that helped bring the vodka and its iconic bottle to be one of the most recognisable bottles in the drinks trade. His original art piece influenced the limited edition bottle and can be seen in the labelling.
The initiative is being supported by two different concepts, including an online art exchange.
As part of the launch of the Andy Warhol bottle, Pernod Ricard, the owner of the Absolut brand, has also set up the The Andy Warhol Art Exchange by Absolut.
On October 1, 2014, users can submit a piece of digital art or create one online and will then get one in return from another participant somewhere in the world. Absolut aims to become the world's largest online art exchange.
Absolut has gone on to partner with amazing and influential artists that have been particularly big in the UK including Keith Haring, David Levinthal, Kenny Scharf, Ralph Steadman, Pierre et Gilles and Douglas Gordon.
In 1985 Andy Warhol was the first artist commissioned to paint a portrait of the Absolut Vodka bottle in what would become one of the most successful advertising campaigns of the twentieth century.
Andy Warhol Original Absolut Vodka
Not only was the Andy Warhol piece of art successful from an advertisement perspective, it also was the beginning of Absolut forging close links to the art world. Today Absolut Vodka still collaborates with up and coming artists.
Adam Boita, now head of marketing at Pernod Ricard UK, told Harpers in an interview last year that art was a critical part of the Absolut story. He said: "Art is core to our DNA, right back to our first art collaboration in 1985 with Andy Warhol. Michel Roux (not to be confused with the celebrity chef), our first importer of Absolut in America, was very much in tune with the artists of the day. That is really what kick-started the collaboration, with artists lending their own interpretations to our iconic bottle. We have since partnered with such artists as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and, more recently, Jamie Hewlett."
Further Absolut also has initiatives to help support blossoming artist through the Absolut Art Bureau. Boita said: "Through such initiatives as the Absolut Art Bureau we are able to support some of the most exciting artists of our time."