Andy Warhol

Frederick R. Weisman, Beverly Hills
Thomas Ammann Fine Art, Zürich
Private Collection, Switzerland

Basel, Galerie Beyeler, Who is afraid of Red...?, 1995, no. 74
Zürich, Thomas Ammann Fine Art, Major Works from the Weisman Collection and Other Private Collections, 1990, no. 33, illustrated in colour

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is brighter and more vibrant in the original, with the orange tending more towards red and the green towards a more luminous lime-green. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There are some is some light wear in places to the extreme edges and corners of the composition, with associated minute specks of paint loss in the lower two corner tips. There are three stable hairline feather cracks to the lower centre of the '$' sign; one beneath the centre of the top edge and one above the centre of the bottom edge. There are several tiny specks of dark media accretion to the centre of the lower left quadrant, and one further small transparent speck of media accretion to the left centre of the composition. All of the above are unobtrusive and only visible under close inspection. No restoration is apparent under ultra-violet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"American Money is very well-designed, really. I like it better than any other kind of money."
Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B and Back Again), New York, 1975, p. 137

 

Warhol's infatuation with money, expressed so succinctly in the dollar sign paintings, epitomises the philosophy of the Decade of Excess. Greed and glamour, wealth, power and desirability are encapsulated in this iconic series. Painted in 1981, the Dollar Signs were first exhibited at Leo Castelli's Greene Street gallery the following year. The background of the present work preserves the evocative green of American money and is combined with a garish orange $. Larger than life, it appears to leap off the canvas.

Dollar bills had first appeared in Warhol's early drawings, stuffed into soup cans and in his black-and-white advertisement paintings. Here, he has distilled this potent symbol of the American Dream to the dollar sign itself. Hidden beneath the bright veneer of lively colours, the $ contains Warhol's satirical commentary on the dark side of American materialism, according to which the world revolves around money and everything is for sale. Art quite literally becomes money, and money art: "I like money on the wall. Say you were going to buy a $200,000 painting. I think you should take that money, tie it up, and hang it on the wall." (Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B and Back Again), New York, 1975, pp. 133-134)