Dollar Sign Quad (F. & S. II.282)

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.