Money has always been subtly represented in art, tucked into mythological, biblical, and historical scenes. But in the last seventy years, as consumer culture has taken hold globally, artists have put money front and centre in their work. Through their art, they explore the economic, political, social, and symbolic layers tied to various currencies and forms of exchange.
In some pieces, actual money—banknotes, coins, cheques, and credit cards—becomes the material itself, challenging our ideas of value or highlighting the aesthetics of everyday financial objects. Other artists look ahead, weaving digital currencies into their work, imagining a future where money exists only in the digital realm.
The new book Money in Art: From Coinage to Crypto explores this fascinating theme. Spanning Pop Art to today, it features a rich collection of modern and contemporary works, each paired with a brief text that unpacks the ideas behind them. With an introductory essay offering historical context, Money in Art is an exciting look at how global artists engage with this universal subject.
