Coca-Cola's Masterpiece passed a Coke through art history, from Warhol to The Scream

Create a landmark brand film that lives up to Warhol's 1962 Coke bottle painting, pairing canonical artworks with emerging artists from around the world.

Directed by Henry Scholfield of Academy Films, with animation and VFX by Electric Theatre Collective and its offshoot Electric Studios designed to echo each artwork's style; Blitzworks created the campaign using live-action sequences and, per its global CCO, 'cutting edge AI'.

The spot launched first in Latin America and rolled out to other markets through 2023 alongside eight 'digital collectibles' relating to the artworks; Creative Review called it rare to see this much technical craft packed into an ad.

In March 2023 Creative Review broke down Coca-Cola's new ad, 'Masterpiece'. The story takes place in a museum where a student is battling boredom during a group study visit — until the artworks are unexpectedly animated and a Coca-Cola bottle begins a journey between them. The spot was directed by Academy Films' Henry Scholfield, known for music videos with countless moving parts for Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and Rosalía.

The art relay is the point: Andy Warhol's 1962 Coca-Cola bottle painting opens the film, and other recognisable works include Munch's The Scream, JMW Turner's The Shipwreck and Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring — interspersed with pieces by up-and-coming artists from around the world: Stefania Tejada, Vikram Kushwah, Fatma Ramadan, Wonder Buhle and Aket.

The craft was the talking point: intricate editing and transitions, animation and VFX by Electric Theatre Collective and its offshoot Electric Studios carefully designed to echo the visual style of each piece, with characters from one artwork engaging across into another's world. Several artworks were shot in live action for their extended sequences, and Blitzworks — the agency behind the campaign, whose global CCO is Ajab Samrai — also used 'cutting edge AI'. The campaign launched in Latin America before rolling to other markets in 2023 with eight 'digital collectibles' tied to the artworks.

Warhol painted the Coke bottle in 1962 — the brand enters art history as a subject, not a sponsor.

Style-matched animation for each artwork shows craft at a level rarely attempted in advertising.

Canonical-to-emerging artist pairing spreads the spotlight, and eight digital collectibles extend the film into ownership.

Blitzworks' use of AI signalled how machine learning would enter high-craft production pipelines.

When your bottle is already a museum piece, let the museum advertise: canonical art lends a mass brand a claim to craftsmanship no product shot can.

The campaign launched first in Latin America and rolled out across further markets during 2023 with the eight digital collectibles.