E. pluribus unum (after Rembrandt Peale, George Washington)

E. pluribus unum (after Rembrandt Peale, George Washington) by Ray Beldner, after Rembrandt Peale

What determines the value of a work of art?

This collage was created from approximately 250 dollar bills meticulously arranged, folded, and sewn together to re-create a famous portrait by Rembrandt Peale of George Washington. Beldner’s labor-intensive technique consciously plays on the average viewer’s equation of the hours of labor with value in art. His use of the national motto—e pluribus unum (“out of many, one”)—for the title of the work makes witty reference to the creation of this portrait from many dollar-bill portraits.

Medium
Sewn U.S. currency
Credit

Gift of Catharine Clark Gallery and Ray Beldner in honor of the new de Young

Item ID
2006.11
Dimensions
36 x 31 in. (91.4 x 78.7 cm)
Date
2005
Country
Artist name
Ray Beldner, after Rembrandt Peale
Artwork location