Artist Statement
“In 2003, Fairey dissected the graphic design of instruments of wealth and power such as currency, stamps, and stock certificates, resulting in a series of works about the intersection of economic wealth and political power. The minting of new currency featuring the portrait of the leader is an act characteristic of totalitarian regime. The numbered portraits of the infamous leaders 1) Lenin, 2) Mao, and 3) Nixon are surrounded by design elements commonly used for such documents, including ornate patterns and intricate motifs incorporated to confound counterfeiters. The artist inserts his own
About This Print
Nixon Money is a 2019 large-format screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a signed, numbered edition of 89, measuring 30 x 41 inches on Coventry Rag 100% cotton archival paper with hand-deckled edges. Part of a "Lesser Gods" set with Lenin and Mao, it dissects the graphic language of currency: Nixon's portrait sits amid ornate counterfeit-deterring patterns, the Obey Star Icon, and the phrase "In lesser gods we trust," an alteration of "In God we trust." Fairey frames the minting of currency bearing a leader's portrait as a hallmark of totalitarian regimes and a warning about the deification of power.
Market Context
No recorded public sales >= $100 - pieces like this are typically held long-term by investors/collectors, were destroyed or consumed, or do not surface on the open market.