Mark Wagner (artist)

Mark Wagner
Born 1976 (age 39–40)
Nationality United States
Alma mater University of Wisconsin–Madison
Known for Currency collage
Notable work Ben Bernanke (2009)
Liberty (2009)
Website www.markwagnerinc.com

Mark Wagner (born 1976) is an American artist best known for meticulous collages made of United States banknotes, such as the portrait of Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke, composed exclusively of one-dollar bills, in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery.[1] Wagner’s work is represented by Pavel Zoubok Gallery in New York City.[2] He is co-founder of The Booklyn Artist Alliance[3] and has published over twenty artists’ books with Bird Brain Press and X-ing Books.[4]

Currency Collage

Gilbert Stuart. Portrait of George Washington (1796). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Since 1999, Wagner has been using US banknotes to create portraits, abstractions, allegories, still lifes, and sculptures ranging in size from 2x3 inch smiling and frowning parodies of Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington on the dollar, to the 17x3 feet Liberty, a 2009 depiction of the Statue of Liberty using slices from over 1000 dollar bills.[5] Lisa Dennison, Chief Curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City commends Wagner's “witty and intricately detailed” work[6] and situates his art in the longstanding tradition of artists like Ed Ruscha who adapt pre-existing resources to create uniquely engaging works of art.[7] Detractors say the work can lean towards the gimmicky.[8] The artist states, “The one dollar bill is the most ubiquitous piece of paper in America. … It is a ripe material: intaglio printed on sturdy linen stock, covered in decorative filigree, and steeped in symbolism and concept.”[9]

Collections

Exhibitions

Wagner has had a number of solo exhibitions and participated in many group exhibitions.[14]

Publication

Other coverage

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Catalog of American Portraits Search Results". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  2. ↑ "Mark Wagner". Pavel Zoubok Gallery. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  3. ↑ "Mark Wagner". Booklyn Artist Alliance. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  4. ↑ "x-ing books". X-ing Books. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  5. ↑ "Mark Wagner: Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" Lance Esplund, Wall Street Journal Metro NY, August 6th, 2011
  6. ↑ Lisa Dennison, Wall Rockets catalog essay, page 35, published by The Flag Art Foundation, NYC, 2009
  7. ↑ Bruce Helander, "Ca$h Back," The Art Economist, December 2011
  8. ↑ Art in America, “Mark Wagner: Pavel Zoubok”, December 2008, Elaine Sexton
  9. ↑ Wain, Alex. "Impressive Collages Pieced Together From US Dollar Bills". So Bad So Good. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  10. ↑ "Mark Wagner". The Getty Research Institute. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  11. ↑ "The Collection Online: Smoke in My Dreams". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  12. ↑ "Mark Wagner". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  13. ↑ "Whitney Catalog". Whitney Museum of American Art Library. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  14. ↑ "Wagner CV 2014" (PDF). Pavel Zoubok Gallery. Retrieved 2014-08-24.
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