ARTS & CULTURE
2015
Italian – English

Full HD
4 x 52’ Italian – English
1 x 52′ Italian

Directed by Massimo Brega
Script writer Dominic Frisby
Music by Pino Donaggio

Episodes

  • The Artist And Paper Money
  • Art And Banks
  • Art And The State
  • Contemporary Art And Finance

Money and art: two worlds, seemingly far apart, but in actuality closely intertwined. Guided by Jacques Attali and Marina Abramovic who act as contributors, together with contemporary artists, art and economy historians, collectors and art personalities, we cross continents intriguing the viewers gradually revealing them unknown, curious, passionate stories that connect historical events and financial innovations to art.

We introduce the renaissance-era mogul Jacob Fugger “the Rich”, banker and financier to emperors and popes, patron of such artists as Durer, Michelangelo, Bramante, and Rafael and manager of the Vatican mint. To see how banks continue to invest into art nowadays we visit Deutsche Bank offices in Frankfurt, London and New York showing one of the most important collection of contemporary art. We tell the story of the perilous life of the contentious but extraordinary figure John Law and his “invention” of a currency system based on paper rather than on precious metals. This innovation would mark the beginning of a new era. We go to New York to discover how his story ended up and how money since then has become a tool to promote the image of a Country. We present the twentieth Century economist John Maynard Keynes, father of macroeconomic theory, patron of the arts, art collector, advocate for public financing of art and artists, and member of the Bloomsbury group of intellectuals. We then fly to Mexico to see how this State is now acting as Keynes predicted, financing art and allowing artists to pay tax through their works of art. To analyze the relationship between art and money we visit sites that are closed to the public, such as the Regional Historic Center in Maastricht that hide John Law’s art collection register and Uli Sigg’s private island,  home of  the most relevant collection of contemporary Chinese art in the world.

The narrative is supported by rich and sophisticated images, featuring the high-quality photography that is the hallmark of director Massimo Brega. It enables the viewer to see some of the world’s most famous works of art up close and transports the viewer inside the places that are relevant to this captivating story. Money Art’s musics are by reknown composer Pino Donaggio, the author of “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” by Dusty Springfield  and Elvis Presley. He works regularly with US director Brian De Palma.
In 2012 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award  from the World Soundtrack Academy.