Brillo Box (3 ¢ Off)

Brillo Box (3 ¢ Off) is a series of works created in 1964 by the American Pop artist Andy Warhol. They are sculptural replicas of Brillo soap pad boxes, made from silkscreened plywood. The title references the brand name "Brillo" and an implied discount offer, a common marketing tactic used in supermarkets, which is subtly satirized in the artwork.

Warhol's Brillo Box (3 ¢ Off) blurred the lines between art and everyday consumer goods. By precisely replicating a common, mass-produced cardboard box, he challenged the traditional definition of art and forced viewers to question what distinguishes an art object from a mundane commercial product. The meticulous craftsmanship involved in creating the boxes stood in stark contrast to the mass-produced nature of the original Brillo boxes, further complicating the distinction.

The Brillo Box (3 ¢ Off) sculptures are considered seminal works of Pop Art and significantly influenced the development of Conceptual Art and Minimalism. They sparked considerable debate about the role of originality, authorship, and the commodification of art within the burgeoning art market. Arthur Danto, a philosopher and art critic, notably used Warhol's Brillo Box to illustrate his concept of the "artworld" and the contextual theory of art, arguing that an object becomes art not through its inherent qualities, but through its placement and acceptance within the art world's theoretical framework. The sculptures are housed in various museum collections around the world.