Andy Warhol is one of the most famous artists of all time, widely recognized as the driving force behind the 1960s Pop Art movement. His work “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn,” a portrait of Marilyn Monroe, sold at Christie’s for a staggering $195 million in 2022, proving his enduring influence. While the world celebrates his talent and he has countless fans across the globe, there was something he, too, was a fan of: Air France Concorde’s crockery.
He liked the Raymond Loewy-designed set, which included a knife, fork, and spoon, so much that the man who has an entire museum dedicated to him, The Andy Warhol Museum (the largest institution in the United States devoted to a single artist), regularly stole the silverware from his Concorde flight. Warhol wasn’t shy about it, either. He encouraged others to do the same “because it was collectible,” shared photographer and Warhol acolyte Christopher Makos, according to Vanity Fair.
Interestingly, some of these very sets now reside in The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. While one might expect travelers to be dazzled by the luxurious offerings on Concorde flights, Beluga caviar, lobster, foie gras, guinea fowl, and Cristal champagne, but it was the sleek, modernist flatware that truly stole hearts.
During Concorde’s early operations, it became almost an unspoken rule that passengers wouldn’t leave the flight without taking a set of flatware. Concorde’s flatware underwent several design changes over the years, starting with brown plastic handles, then evolving to gray plastic, and eventually becoming fully stainless steel by the 1980s. Most of the set was crafted from plastic to reduce weight, as Concorde was designed to carry less weight per passenger due to the high fuel costs of supersonic flights. This streamlined aesthetic, created by Loewy, made the flatware both attractive and functional, while also light enough for the jet. In its early months, hundreds of sets were taken as souvenirs, with Andy Warhol, ever the design connoisseur, unable to resist its simple elegance, often taking pieces for himself.
Unfortunately, the era of supersonic passenger travel lasted only another two decades, with the final Concorde flight taking off on October 24, 2003. Operated by British Airways, the flight departed from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and landed at London Heathrow Airport (LHR). High operational costs, declining passenger demand following the 2000 accident, and growing environmental concerns ground the supersonic dream.
For those who would like to sample the simplicity of a bygone time, the sets are available for purchase on eBay for $150.
