Emergency Money

Included in the New York Times’s Best Art Books of 2024“During and after World War I, Germany underwent enormous levels of inflation, which led the government to issue promissory notes well into the trillions of German marks. Depression and fascism were up ahead, but a less-known byproduct is explored in Tom Wilkinson’s unmissable monograph. Faithless in government money, provinces and private interests took it upon themselves to issue functional currency emblazoned with truly bizarre or eye-catching graphics. (Sound familiar?) Many are reprinted here in vibrant color. Wenzel Hablik’s suave and chunky designs from 1921 are a highlight. Interspersed are the Weimar collage artists — among them Kurt Schwitters and George Scholz — who recycled some of these cynical designs into art of a new kind.”—The New York Times, Arts“Wilkinson manages to encompass economics, art, architecture, design and social history in a book buzzing with vivid images.”—Financial Times

Tom Wilkinson is an art historian who specializes in German visual culture and modern architecture. He teaches at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and is History Editor of the Architectural Review. His first book was Bricks and Mortals- Ten Great Buildings and the People They Made.