Andy Warhol's Factory: Exploring Benjamin Moore Regal Wall Satin

Oct 21

4 min read

Updated: Oct 23

Our research into Andy Warhol's use of Benjamin Moore Regal Wall Satin began with a 1964 Factory photograph showing him painting his Heinz Tomato Ketchup Box sculptures.

The photograph offered an opportunity to investigate something rarely discussed in accounts of the Factory: the ordinary commercial paints used in producing Warhol's sculptures.

Comparing the container with vintage paint advertisements led us to Benjamin Moore Regal Wall Satin, a latex interior finish available during the early 1960s.

The discovery became an important reference in our research into historical Factory materials. It also prompted another question: could similar architectural paints help us understand the surfaces of Warhol's 1965 Colored Campbell's Soup Cans?

Andy Warhol and Benjamin Moore Regal Wall Satin

The original black-and-white photograph shows Warhol applying paint to his Heinz Box sculptures. Although the paint container is only a small part of the composition, enough of its distinctive packaging is visible to investigate its identity.

We began searching for period Benjamin Moore advertisements and eventually located an example featuring Regal Wall Satin.

The packaging corresponded closely with the container in the Factory photograph. The advertisement also described Regal Wall Satin as a latex interior finish.

This provides a useful historical connection between Benjamin Moore architectural paint and the Factory's 1964 box-production environment.

It does not establish the exact color or formulation Warhol was using, nor does it demonstrate that Regal Wall Satin was used throughout his work.

What it gives us is a specific period product to investigate.

Andy Warhol painting Heinz Tomato Ketchup Box sculptures at the Factory in 1964, with a Benjamin Moore paint container beside him. — Andy Warhol painting Heinz Tomato Ketchup Boxes at the Factory, 1964. Photograph by Ed Wallowitch.

Vintage Benjamin Moore Regal Wall Satin advertisement showing the packaging identified in the 1964 Factory photograph. Mack's Factory research collection.

Testing Benjamin Moore on Canvas

With the historical paint reference established, we began experimenting with modern Benjamin Moore Regal Select Interior Flat paint.

Our initial test involved applying two different whites to separate areas of the same canvas.

One was slightly cooler and grayer, while the other produced a brighter, cleaner white.

Using a single canvas made it easier to examine the differences in coverage, surface texture, and how the paint settled into the fabric.

Both samples covered the canvas while retaining some visibility of the underlying weave. The different whites also changed the overall appearance of the prepared surface.

We documented the results under different lighting conditions and examined them in close-up.

The experiment wasn't intended to identify Warhol's exact white. It was a way of studying how a contemporary architectural paint behaves when applied to canvas.

Two Benjamin Moore Regal Select paint cans positioned on a canvas showing white paint tests, visible fabric texture, and untreated canvas edges. Copy — Benjamin Moore Regal Select paint tests on canvas, comparing two white finishes and their coverage of the fabric. Mack's Factory, October 2026.

Close-up of a white Benjamin Moore paint test on canvas showing the painted surface, visible fabric weave, and untreated canvas edge. — Close-up of the Benjamin Moore paint test showing surface coverage, canvas texture, and the transition to untreated fabric. Mack's Factory, October 2026.

Examining the Surface

The next step involved spraying white aerosol paint over the prepared samples.

We wanted to examine how an additional sprayed layer affected the appearance of the white ground, particularly its coverage, surface texture, and the visibility of the canvas weave.

These comparisons became useful when examining photographs and catalogue descriptions of Warhol's paintings, where the appearance of a smooth white surface doesn't always establish how it was prepared.

A professionally primed canvas, a painted ground, and a sprayed coating can have similar characteristics in photographs, even though their materials and application methods differ.

This became an important distinction as our canvas-preparation research developed.

The experiments also extended to testing different colors over prepared canvas, allowing us to examine coverage, surface texture, and how the underlying white ground influenced the appearance of subsequent paint layers.

Experimental canvas with vertical bands of colored paint, including yellow, blue, green, purple, red, orange, and black, prepared during Mack's Factory's material research. — Paint and color studies on prepared canvas, examining coverage and surface characteristics. Mack's Factory, October 2026.

Following the Evidence

The Benjamin Moore tests provided an early reference for comparing paint coverage and surface appearance.

However, subsequent research into original Factory photographs has raised further questions about the preparation of Warhol's canvases.

Several historical images show loose white canvas being handled and cut, with characteristics consistent with commercially prepared fabric.

This has led us to investigate commercially pre-primed canvas as our principal working explanation for the original preparation, while treating any additional white grounds or sprayed layers as separate questions.

The Regal Wall Satin identification remains important evidence for the materials associated with Warhol's 1964 Box Sculptures. It should not, however, be taken as proof that the same paint was used to prime the 1965 canvases.

Our modern experiments are helping us compare the behavior of different materials, including their coverage, texture, and flexibility.

The next stage of the research has included examining historical alkyd paints and testing how modern alkyd-based coatings compare with acrylic-prepared surfaces.

These investigations are continuing as part of RECONSTRUCTING THE FACTORY, with the results documented in our Research Journal.

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