Money Is Art in an Exhibition at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum

Art and money are inextricably intertwined. Now, an exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is investigating the complicated relationship between these two forces.

Titled “Money Talks: Art, Society and Power,” the show features more than 100 items—including paintings, sculptures, coins and banknotes—from a variety of cultures and time periods. Coins dating to the Roman Empire are on display; so are more recent works by artists like Andy Warhol, Joseph Beuys, the Guerrilla Girls and Banksy.

“Although money is not usually considered an art form, the two have interacted and informed each other in many ways and from the beginning of time,” says Xa Sturgis, director of the Ashmolean, in a statement. “Including a range of dynamic and striking objects, ‘Money Talks’ challenges our views of how money comes to be in our pockets and what happens to it and with it.”

The exhibition begins with rare coins planned for Edward VIII, who became the British monarch in early 1936. Hoping to introduce “modern” coinage into circulation, he turned to sculptor John Francis Kavanagh, whose designs were far from traditional.

Edward’s grand plans highlight “the incompatibility of art and bureaucracy,” as the London Times’ Emma Duncan writes. “Regrettably, the bureaucrats at the Bank of England weren’t having any of his brilliant Cubist designs, and they were binned in preference to conventional stuff.”

Edward also pushed back against another tradition: Typically, monarchs appear on coins facing the opposite direction as their predecessors. As such, Edward was supposed to face right—but he preferred the appearance of the left side of his face. However, because he ultimately abdicated the throne, his coins were never released. Only a small number of samples survive today.

The exhibition also showcases currency featuring Elizabeth II—including the first banknotes with her portrait, which were issued in Canada in 1954. Because her reign lasted for more than 70 years, there are numerous examples of currency bearing her image.

“Strange variations of Elizabeth II occur in different Commonwealth countries,” writes the Observer’s Laura Cumming. “She grows fatter, thinner, older, eyes more sunken or lowered depending where in the world you are.”

Other highlights include banknote designs by Austrian artists like Koloman Moser and Gustav Klimt, who entered competitions run by Austria’s central bank. Meanwhile, another section investigates artistic attitudes toward money around the world.

“In Eastern art, money is delightful stuff: Gods and goddesses are portrayed with symbols of wealth and fertility—jewels, water, elephants and even a mongoose that vomits coins,” writes the Times. “Western artists, taking their tone from the Bible—‘for the love of money is the root of all evil’—portray it as evil.”

The show concludes with an examination of contemporary digital currency, such as cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs)—including a new NFT that the Ashmolean has commissioned just for the exhibition.

“Money Talks: Art, Society and Power” is on view at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, through January 5, 2025.

Julia Binswanger | READ MORE

Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ, Chicago magazine, Rebellious magazine and PC magazine.