MONEY TALKS: ART, SOCIETY & POWER
A major exhibition opening on 9 August 2024
Exploring the place of money in our world through different artistic lenses.
Money Talks will reveal how currency and art come together in design and culture to promote or challenge our views. It will feature works by some of the best-known artists, from Rembrandt to Warhol.
Most of the imagery on our currency begins its life as art, before being mass produced on coins and notes. It has a dramatic impact on what and who we imagine is valuable.
Money itself is a popular theme in art – artists have long explored and commented upon the balance between power, wealth and plenitude through using money artistically in novel ways.
Money Dress, Susan Stockwell, 2010, International currency notes, cotton thread, canvas & mannequin frame © Susan Stockwell
The exhibition will feature over 100 objects, including work from artists Andy Warhol and Grayson Perry, and from Banksy and Paula Stevens-Hoare, who use money itself as a medium for political commentary and satire.
Alongside these artworks is a range of money including Roman, Chinese and Islamic coins, Art Nouveau banknotes, and the artwork for the currency featuring Kings Edward VIII and Charles III, on display for the first time.
With other remarkable international objects and items from the Ashmolean's collections, including NFTs, the exhibition will uncover many fascinating interactions between art and money, as well as explore the role of physical currency in 2024.
SELECTED ARTWORKS IN THE EXHIBITION
