Andy Warhol’s $1 (Dollar Sign), created in 1982, transforms the familiar emblem of currency into a bold emblem of art, power, and aspiration. Set against a cool, light-blue background, the composition features a dynamic dollar symbol rendered in deep black and rich green tones, layered with expressive hand-drawn marks. The print juxtaposes painterly immediacy with graphic precision, capturing the duality of Warhol’s vision — the collision between the handmade and the mass-produced, individuality and replication.

Warhol’s fascination with money as both subject and symbol runs throughout his oeuvre, but in the Dollar Sign series, it becomes central and self-referential. Here, the artist turns the most literal symbol of value — the dollar — into a commentary on the commodification of art itself. The stark contrast between the vibrant aqua background and the bold black form creates a visual tension that mirrors the allure and anxiety surrounding wealth and fame in 1980s America.

The gestural quality of the brushwork recalls Warhol’s early career as a commercial illustrator, reasserting his roots in drawing while maintaining the crispness of screen printing. Each work in the series varies in color palette and energy, offering collectors a unique configuration of tone and rhythm.