MONOCULTURE | A Recent History

With their qualities of surface and repetition, Warhol’s works offer profound critical reflection on the dominance of the American capitalist system of the post-war period. As Warhol once said: “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art”. It is because of this embrace in Warhol’s art of capitalism – its vast potential, it global reach, and its great capacity to perpetuate both prosaic ‘pop’ culture and global icons – that makes him a key American artist of the post-war period. Often described as a Pop Artist, Warhol has also been described as a protagonist of Capitalist Realism, a term mimicking the Socialist Realism of the USSR. Capitalist Realism is used to describe practices that embody liberal capitalism. The dollar bill and dollar sign were recurring motifs in Warhol’s art since the 1960s, and he would regularly sign dollar bills.