Warhol Museum's Soda Pop Joins "World's Largest Collection of Coke Memorabilia"

We can only hope it's merely a Coke joke:

Giovanna dell'Orto of Associated Press reports that some 30 Warhol Coca-Colas loaned by the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, will go on display later this month at the new World of Coca-Cola museum near the soft drink company's headquarters in Atlanta.

We can only hope the Pittsburgh museum got lots of money for these branding shenanigans. Adult tickets to the new Pop Palace are a hefty $15, for what is essentially a giant advertisement. Doesn't Coca-Cola make enough money from its core business?

Opening May 24, the Atlanta "museum" also features a "fully functioning bottling line that produces commemorative 8-ounce bottles of Coca-­Cola," the "world-famous Coca-­Cola Polar Bear and so much more!" Good taste appears to be limited to the beverage (and that's debatable).

The Warhol Museum's loan show is nowhere to be found on its own website's list of traveling exhibitions. (You think maybe they're just a little embarrassed?) The World of Coca-Cola website, however, has no such reticence.

But wait! This just in: We hear that Warhol Museum director Tom Sokolowski is in secret negotiations to revive the Campbell Museum (There actually used to be one in Camden, NJ, displaying soup tureens. I've been there!) And he hopes to help establish a new Brillo museum near that company's headquarters. There's no end of Warhol branding possibilities.

Okay, I'm kidding about the last two. But not, alas, about the first one.

What would Andy think? You tell me.