Cultural Currency: Contemporary Art from the Riemer Collection

Cultural Currency: Contemporary Art from the Riemer Collection presents the innovative ways artists use money as a medium to explore preconceived notions of value and worth beyond declared denominations. The artists in the exhibition investigate monetary value by meticulously repurposing bills and coins into exquisite, conceptually engaging artworks. The collection is the passion of Davis Riemer and Louise Rothman-Riemer, investment advisers from Oakland, CA, who began collecting money-themed art in 1995 to encourage new attitudes toward money’s intrinsic value.

The constant exchange of money for goods and services is core to our daily lives and has been for centuries. We rely on monetary transactions, a quintessential human act, to meet our needs and desires – from luxury purchases like high-end cars and clothing to essential items like food and shelter. Given this worldwide phenomenon, consumers rarely consider the aesthetic qualities of currency, which range in various colors and sizes and designed by artists. As artist Ray Beldner aptly points out, U.S. currency is “the world’s biggest ongoing print edition. Every bill is unique, and it’s numbered uniquely. It’s signed by the person that caused it to be made, the Secretary of the Treasury. It’s made from archival materials. It’s 100 percent cotton. It’s beautifully done.”