In Search of a Few Bucks

Art lovers sought refuge from the troubled economy this winter at Pepperdine’s Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, where a new exhibit put currency on the canvas. “Robert Dowd: Pop Art Money,” on display January 17 to April 5, is the first posthumous museum exhibition devoted to the American artist best known for his imaginative, whimsical paintings of money and stamps. Dowd freely interpreted his subject, enlarging his images to monumental size and making alterations, such as substituting portraits of modern artists for the presidents. His money paintings are celebrated for capturing the essence of the Pop Art movement, and he is considered one of the original Los Angeles Pop artists.