Mark Wagner Puts His Money Where His Art Is

New York-based contemporary artist, Mark Wagner, is known for his collages made entirely from deconstructed US dollars. Using cut-up US banknotes as his medium, he recreates portraits of presidents, famous paintings, and other collages.

“I’d been doing collage out of a whole bunch of different materials, and initially, I wanted a piece of paper that was just super common — something that everyone could recognize,” he explained the backstory of his art in an interview with Kai Ryssdal. “There’s a power behind taking something that’s familiar to everyone and making it into something completely new.”

Through his unique art, he playfully explores the intersection of wealth, power, value, and American identity. Decades dedicated to destroying banknotes have provided Wagner with a unique perspective on the nature of money: modern man’s obsession with finance and our wistful attempts to tame it through economics.

But this exploration, as it turns out, is also unlawful, as the law clearly states that you can’t destroy American currency. “Any time I see my stuff referred to online, there’s always, like, a roll call of nannies and hall monitors complaining about it being illegal,” joked Wagner. “When people ask me that, I like to say, ‘Should it be illegal?'”

But while his art is illegal, it’s also highly coveted. Wagner’s work is collected by dozens of institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the US Federal Reserve Board, and the Smithsonian Institution. It has also been shown extensively at The Metropolitan Museum, The Getty Research Institute, and the National Portrait Gallery. You can also follow his art on Instagram: