Works of art and their value are intrinsically linked. Much like alchemists, successful artists possess the ability to transform the mundane—be it paint, canvas, clay, or everyday household objects—into gold. While this is often romanticized, it applies to only a select few. Nonetheless, the Western tradition of canonizing select artists and movements has contributed to sustained and often dramatic increases in market value. Increasingly, the perceived quality of the work is now defined by its monetary worth. This is not a new phenomenon, but within the logic of contemporary capitalism, it has taken on hyperbolic proportions.

In Claude Money, A–FL compiles thirty years of auction data for paintings by Claude Monet. The phonetic resemblance between the Impressionist’s surname and the currency used to measure his significance serves as the conceptual point of departure. The results are compiled in the form of a dry, statistical record, bound in a softcover book. Each cover features an American one-dollar bill, individually altered through hand foiling to spell out the title—a visual gesture that underscores the central inquiry of the work.