The Genius of Money - Chapter 12

In chap 12 of “The Genius of Money,” we discuss two artists and their work – Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. They both produced art pieces that took inanimate objects and iconized them, giving them a new meaning and making an individual stop and think about these things they see and observe in everyday life. The main focus however is Roy Lichtenstein’s painting of a ten dollar. This gives the dollar bill a whole new iconic image rather than just a commodity.

The author John Bloom discusses how money has become an iconic thing in our economy. It was supposed to be a means towards an end once upon a time, however today money has become the end. The economy is controlled by the world of commerce and business and the idea of a free market is more of a myth than a reality. Few people control the market and it seems like the free hand market economy no longer exists. He realizes that a ten dollar bill doesn’t even have the same value anymore because the value relies on the government and they can change it anytime by printing more money.

The chapter discusses how these paintings reflect the rise of money as an end rather than a mean in the 1960s. With the optimistic market after the World War II, money was idolized. It held more power and the lust for money was growing strong. The painting by Andy Warhol also shows how replication can dilute the value, and a simple idea of the government printing more money can take away the value of a ten dollar bill so easily. Hence money is not as important as it seems, and due to the control on money and the market by the government and the businesses, it is an even more dangerous commodity to play around with.