Money in Art

As an inescapable aspect of everyday life, money has appeared in the background of art throughout its history within the context of mythological, biblical and historic scenes. In the last seventy years however, as consumer culture has spread internationally, many artists have given money the centre stage in their work to reflect on various economic, political, social and symbolic concerns that relate to different currencies and formats.

In some of these artworks, physical money — banknotes and coins plus cheques and credit cards — is the actual art material, used by artists to question and subvert notions of value or to examine the aesthetics of these quotidian objects. Others have embraced burgeoning digital currencies in their artworks, looking forward to a possible future where money is wholly intangible.

Money in Art: From Coinage to Crypto is an engaging new book that features a diverse selection of modern and contemporary art. Presented chronologically from Pop art onwards, with a short text to explain each of the works, it also includes an introductory essay looking art-historically at the subject. Money in Art is an introduction to a wide range of artists from around the world, approached through the lens of this universal theme.