Jenna Lash's Paintings of Money on Display at the Sackler Gallery

-- Currency Reflects Country’s Identity --

Art and commerce unite in a series of unusual paintings now on display at the Sackler Gallery of the Palace Theater.

Titled "Currency," the exhibition features 13 paintings by monetary artist Jenna Lash that depict a rethinking of the traditional look of money. The exhibition runs through Dec. 28, 2006.

The oil-on-canvas works focus on the faces of national figures on notes such as the U.S. dollar, the Japanese yen, the Israeli shekel and the British pound. Their size, colors and style turn the viewer’s attention away from the formal context of money to its social, political and cultural significance. The canvases range from 40 inches wide by 32 inches high, to 8 feet wide by 10 feet high. Most measure 4 feet by 5 feet.

"I am fascinated by currency," Lash said. "A country’s money reflects its identity. My paintings of international currency lead people to consider each note as a symbol of the country’s self-image and its system of barter."

Lash's paintings are collected by currency traders, hedge-fund operators, brokerage companies, accounting firms and corporate executives.

"Jenna Lash's works are of feeling as much as paintings of the external world, and as such breathe a fineness and sensitivity not often found in contemporary visual arts," said Robert Kirsch, former professor of art history at Columbia University and a noted art critic.

The Sackler Gallery is located in the Palace Theater, 61 Atlantic Street. It is open weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on weekends from 12 noon to 5 p.m.

About Jenna Lash:
Lash is an artist whose aesthetic exploration focuses on money. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Arts from New York University. She has also studied at the American Academy of Rome. A veteran of solo shows and juried exhibitions, Lash has won many awards, including a first prize at the Westchester Beaux Arts Finale. Lash grew up near Hartford, and now lives in northern Westchester County.

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