God of Money

Interpreted for the twenty-first century, God of Money is based on extracts from Karl Marx’s famous chapter on money, published in Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts, 1844. Marx was a young man at the time, critical and defiant of an emergent world of rampant greed and consumption. Spanish illustrator Maguma recreates this celebrated rant against the mind-numbing power of money in the context of contemporary developments – where the spread of avarice on a global scale has led to the near death of the commons. Drawing on the biblical tale of the Fall, Maguma creates a surreal world continually fuelled by an insatiable desire for more. Maguma is the pseudonym for Spanish artist Marcos Guardiola Martin, who is based in Madrid and works for a growing number of publications, including dailies, weeklies and political journals across Europe and Latin America. Trained as an architect in Madrid, Maguma brings to his work a sense of space and surface that is unique.

Inspired by artists such as Moebius and Milano Manara, as well as the style of old adult Spanish comics, Maguma has developed a style that’s bright, tactile and surreal – and which combines the qualities of pastel and gouache with the precision of screen-printed drawings. Maguma strives to give the work a tactile quality that invites the viewer to touch and feel his art. God of Money is Maguma’s first project with Tara Books.