Cool currency portraits

Default avatar.
March 07, 2013
Cool currency portraits.

If world leaders were more like-minded, perhaps the elusive goal of world peace might be more attainable. But while international harmony remains a utopian dream for now, French photographer Philippe Petremant is doing his part to inch us closer. In his series 'The Magnificent Seven', the Lyon-based artist helps political figures past and present share — quite literally — a single head.

By creatively folding and paper-clipping together a slew of different banknotes, Petremant forms quirky portraits of leaders from across the globe. Portraits include Che Guevara dressed smartly in a suit and tie and Chairman Mao decked out in a cowboy hat and handlebar moustache. Queen Elizabeth II — the only female included — gets what is sure to be an unwelcome makeover when she dons former Singapore President Encik Yusof bin Ishak’s tiny chin and facial hair.

Obscure currencies turn certain pictures into a history lesson, especially in the case of Peruvian Admiral Miguel Grau — a famous Naval officer and military leader in The War of the Pacific — whose mutton-chop sideburns are prominent in one portrait conglomerate. Less recognizable is the forehead of a young Gambian girl, whose picture adorns the country’s 5 Dalasi note. Perhaps the most jarring of the series is an image of Mahatma Gandhi’s eyes on the face of Saddam Hussein, merging the admired peace-lover with a notorious mass murderer.

Funny, poignant, and thought-provoking, Petremant’s series embodies more than what initially meets the eye. But then again, the same could be said of most of the world’s greatest leaders — and maybe that’s the point.

Can you identify all of the portraits in this mashup? Who else deserves to be immortalised on a banknote? Let us know in the comments.

Stacey Kole

Stacey Kole is a freelance writer and former magazine editor. When she’s not crafting copy or chasing after her two little boys, Stacey can be found drinking coffee, tea, or anything else with caffeine. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter.

Read Next

20 Best New Websites, April 2024

Welcome to our sites of the month for April. With some websites, the details make all the difference, while in others,…

Exciting New Tools for Designers, April 2024

Welcome to our April tools collection. There are no practical jokes here, just practical gadgets, services, and apps to…

14 Top UX Tools for Designers in 2024

User Experience (UX) is one of the most important fields of design, so it should come as no surprise that there are a…

What Negative Effects Does a Bad Website Design Have On My Business?

Consumer expectations for a responsive, immersive, and visually appealing website experience have never been higher. In…

10+ Best Resources & Tools for Web Designers (2024 update)

Is searching for the best web design tools to suit your needs akin to having a recurring bad dream? Does each…

3 Essential Design Trends, April 2024

Ready to jump into some amazing new design ideas for Spring? Our roundup has everything from UX to color trends…

How to Plan Your First Successful Website

Planning a new website can be exciting and — if you’re anything like me — a little daunting. Whether you’re an…

15 Best New Fonts, March 2024

Welcome to March’s edition of our roundup of the best new fonts for designers. This month’s compilation includes…

LimeWire Developer APIs Herald a New Era of AI Integration

Generative AI is a fascinating technology. Far from the design killer some people feared, it is an empowering and…

20 Best New Websites, March 2024

Welcome to our pick of sites for March. This month’s collection tends towards the simple and clean, which goes to show…

Exciting New Tools for Designers, March 2024

The fast-paced world of design never stops turning, and staying ahead of the curve is essential for creatives. As…

Web Tech Trends to Watch in 2024 and Beyond

It hardly seems possible given the radical transformations we’ve seen over the last few decades, but the web design…