Justin Perrault forwarded several links relating to artist Andre Levy of
Frankfurt, who uses coins as his canvas for interesting little works of pop art. Thanks!
-Editor
Talk about cultural currency! The Sao Paulo–born, Frankfurt-based artist and designer Andre Levy
has earned himself a huge online following and an exhibition at Stew Gallery in Norwich, England
with his project Tales You Lose, for which he turns the portraits of monarchs and political heroes
adorning coins into images of pop culture icons including transforming the image of Franco on a
Spanish coin into Divine, turning an Olympian on a Greek coin into the Flash, and remaking a
Chinese coin into miniature version of René Magritte’s “The Son of Man.”
The Flash and Magritte
“I’m a graphic designer and split my time between an advertising job and my personal projects,
which include street art and illustration. The most notorious of those projects, so far, is Tales
You Lose, which became popular on Instagram and Tumblr,” Levy told Hyperallergic over email.
“I never collected coins. What initially made me accumulate a few was the fact that I keep
forgetting them in my pockets. I learned, though, that outside its territory of origin the coin
leaves behind its illusional value as currency to carry a value defined by its carrier. I saw those
coins as massively reproduced sculptures, and felt they could be turned into templates for
something richer. Painting the coins was a way to give those metal pieces some room for
interpretation. The pop characters where a way to bring in narratives as strong as the original
ones and enable the new stories when people relate both characters.”
For some, the defacing of currency might constitute a political statement, but Levy doesn’t see
the project in those terms. “I know many of the original faces I cover with paint, but my intention
is rarely to induce an interpretation or forcing a connection by using my own political views,” he
says. “Some pieces ‘make sense’ if the viewer have a previous opinion about both the person on the
coin and the added character. But my statement is in the collection itself. It’s about showing the
value of individual personality over massified behavior and redefining people’s emotional
connection to money.”
Leonardo and Amy Winehouse
So, which currencies are most amenable to Levy’s brand of pop cultural augmentation?
“In general I love British coins because Queen
Elizabeth has a great female silhouette, and the fact that she turns older every new edition makes
her face the most versatile of all,” the artist says. “The ‘Vitruvian Man’ on the Italian euro
allows me to to full body figures. Some people are more sensitive than others regarding seeing
their rulers or heroes dressed as someone else, but most reactions are positive, even when I paint
villains, proving that people can deal with their money in a more imaginative way than simply
spending or hiding it.”
Great Princess Leia! I like these. Any shmo can paint-by-the-numbers to colorize a
coin, but these show some real thought and talent - a true delight. Which talent do people prefer -
Hobo nickel carving, or a coin painting? I've never seen coins like these for sale in the
numismatic market, but I do think they deserve a place at the table along with all money art.
-Editor
To read the complete article, see:
Savvy
Miniaturist Mints Pop Culture Portraits on Coins
(hyperallergic.com/159598/master-miniaturist-mints-pop-culture-portraits-on-coins/)
For more images on Tumblr, see:
http://talesyoulose.tumblr.com/
For more information about the artist, see: http://talesyoulose.tumblr.com/about
Wayne Homren, Editor
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization
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