Name: Dollar Sign Quad (F. & S. II.282)
Brand: Andy Warhol
Rating: 4.9 (189 reviews)

Auction Date

Auction House

Artwork

Hammer Price

Return to Seller

Buyer Paid

March 2013

Christie's London - United Kingdom

Dollar Sign Quad (F. & S. II.282) - Signed Print

Meaning & Analysis

Printed in 1982, Dollar Sign (F. & S. II. 282) is a signed screen print in colour by Andy Warhol. The print depicts four dollar signs in a grid formation, each rendered in a unique colour composition against a bold red background. The dollar signs are layered with hand-drawn lines and shading, bringing texture and vibrancy to the print.

read more about Dollar Sign

Dollar Sign Quad (F. & S. II. 282) is part of the Dollar Sign series. This series takes the US currency as its inspiration implicitly referring to the importance American society places on this symbol which has not only come to represent money and wealth but also power and glamour. Produced during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, the series reflects the commercial and material boom that marked America during the Reagan era. The series demonstrates Warhol’s ability to identify a zeitgeist and seize it for his artistic endeavours.

The print captures Warhol’s gestural and expressive technique that came to characterise much of his later work, such as the Endangered Species and Cowboys and Indians series. This series also differs from others because Warhol chose to draw the dollar sign symbol from scratch, as opposed to appropriating a pre-existing image, commonplace amongst his other prints. The print demonstrates Warhol’s creative skill and excellent draughtsmanship, indeed, it took Warhol numerous attempts to get the perfect sign that was fit for this series. Warhol’s ingenious use of colour in this print transforms the everyday symbol of currency into a stylish 20th century icon of Pop Art.