15 August 2024
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Four of a series of Edward VIII coin pattern designs made before the King abdicated, 1937
A new exhibition at the Ashmoelean Museum in Oxford called ‘Money Talks: Art, Society and Power’, delves into the relationship between art, money and society.
When is the Money Talks: Art, Society and Power exhibition open?
The new exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum runs from 9th August 2024 until 5th January 2025. Tickets can be booked through the Ashmolean Museum website for £15.30, members of the museum can visit the exhibition for free but booking a time slot is advised.
Related article: New keeper of the Heberden Coin Room at Ashmolean
What’s featured in the new exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum?
The new exhibition will feature more than 100 objects from across the globe, including artwork by well-known artists including Andy Warhol, Grayson Perry and Banksy. Alongside these pieces of art, a range of different coins and banknotes will be included in the exhibition including Roman, Chinese and Islamic coins, banknotes and the artwork for the currency featuring Kings Edward VIII and Charles III which will be on display for the first time.
Above: Profile photograph of Edward VIII (1936) by Hugh Cecil (1889-1974) was used to create the pattern for coins bearing his image (The Royal Mint Museum)
The exhibition explores how currency and art come together in design and culture to either promote or to challenge our societal views. Money is often a popular theme within art and has long been explored and commented on the balance between wealth and power. On the other hand, we, as a society, tend to forget that the imagery on our currency begins its life as art before being mass produced as coins and banknotes. Being featured on this currency also has a dramatic impact on both what and who we imagine has value.
Above: Four of a series of Edward VIII coin pattern designs made before the King abdicated, 1937 (The Royal Mint Museum)
Dr Shailendra Bhandare, curator, South Asia and Banknotes, Ashmolean Museum, has curated the exhibition. Of the exhibition he writes: ‘The Ashmolean’s new exhibition, “Money Talks: Art, Society and Power”, explores the place of money in our world through art, highlighting a multitude of global perspectives across time, through a wide range of unusual and “never-seen-before” objects. Works range from numismatic objects such as Roman coins and modern banknotes, historic depictions of wealth, symbols of wealth and prosperity, to contemporary activist Money Art, and it features works from some of the best-known artists – but not in the context we usually tend to see them.’
Related article: Major exhibition at Ashmolean in Oxford