A Point of View

Simon Schama reflects on the meaning of money as represented by coins and notes and in art. He celebrates the solidity of coins with their seeming defiance of monetary transience in contrast to paper money which embodies more readily the ephemeral nature of fortunes made and lost. Simon Schama sees the current economic crisis as an ideal moment for artists to emulate their predecessors from earlier times of boom and bust by producing paintings to express financial worthlessness.