Discover the stories behind Mr. Fox’s desk items

Mr. Fox with his desk – Pierce Laveran ’24

Art Department Chair Mr. Christopher Fox shares the stories behind his desk items.

Andrew Warhol Soup Cans

#1

“Andrew Warhol was a POP artist in the 1960s,” Mr. Fox explained. “Artists then said, ‘enough of these drippy, boring paintings. We want pictures of things.’”

The artists began to paint updated “traditional” art.

“Instead of painting a bowl of soup on a wooden table in the south of France, they painted the modern-day soup: in a can,” Mr. Fox said.

At the time of the painting, Campbell’s Soup was about to sue Warhol when it realized that it was good marketing; they eventually released the decorative cans. The cans still have soup that Mr. Fox does not plan to eat soon.

Various brushes, pens, pencils

#2

Inside empty paint cans and mugs, Mr. Fox has various pens, pencils, and brushes that he uses in his daily work.

“[It’s] not the usual collection of pens and pencils,” Mr. Fox stated. “I have Chinese brushes, oil painting brushes, and stencil knives that I find myself using all the time.”

The mugs he stores some of these items in are usually Haverford mugs.

“Every faculty appreciation day that’s what they give us, so I have dozens of these,” Mr. Fox said.

Various collectibles

#3

Over time, Mr. Fox has collected items from students and friends. This collection includes items from all around the world, ranging from Greece to South America.

“The beetle is from a friend of mine who used to go into South and Central America to collect bugs,” Mr. Fox said. “The little icon is from a former student who went to Greece. All of these items have some little memory attached to them.”

There is also a Bob Ross energy drink gifted by Sixth Former Ivan Harmalov.

Fox paraphernalia

#4

The name Mr. Fox spawns a lot of various fox puns in physical form that usually end up on Mr. Fox’s desk.

“This is a little laser cut project,” Mr. Fox explained, pointing at the small orange plywood figure. “I have a lot of little fox things around the desk.”

Other fox-esque items include a mug and a small figuring depicting Mr. Fox.

“All of these items have some little memory attached to them.”

Mr. Christopher FOX, ART DEPARTMENT CHAIR

Author: Ethan Lee '24

Ethan Lee is a Editor-in-Chief for The Index, a position he took in May 2023. He has previously held the position of Managing Editor and edited the News section of The Index. When not writing, Ethan can be found on the squash court or in a crew boat, or working on an art project.