We’ve all been impacted in some way by the financial crisis earmarked by the demise of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. Now 28 freelance artists have created an amazing illustrated deck of playing cards to commemorate the people, institutions and things that contributed to the crisis. Entitled 52 Shades of Greed, the deck of cards is complete with text to explain “who the players are in the casino we call the world financial system.” For example, here’s the memorable introduction to the description of Dick Fuld (9 of Diamonds):
Richard Fuld was the last Chairman and CEO of Lehman Brothers. He was nicknamed “Gorilla” because of his aggressiveness. His best known quote is, “I am soft, I’m lovable, but what I really want to do is reach in, rip out their hearts and eat them before they die”.
52 Shades of Greed was commissioned by the Occupy Wall Street movement. 1,000 decks will be given away on September 17 to celebrate its one-year anniversary. Decks and related artwork can be purchased at www.52shadesofgreed.com, where you can also view the completed designs. In addition to funding the 1,000 free decks, proceeds will go to the artists and towards creation of a sequel deck of “heroes” of the financial system. For their inspirational creativity and humor, the 28 artists who created 52 Shades of Greed are my Rainbows of the Week.
A Rainbow In The Clouds 
Intriguing!
I can’t wait to get my copies of the decks! The artwork looks great, and I think it would be a lot of fun to actually play a game of poker with these cards.