jean michel basquiat

“ I start a picture and I finish it. I dont think about art while I work. I try to think about life. ”

“ I like to have information rather than just have a brushstroke. Just to have these words to put in these feelings underneath. ”

“ I cross out words so you will see them more; the fact that they are obscured makes you want to read them. ”

“ I am not a black artist, I am an artist. ”

“ I want to make paintings that look as if they were made by a child. ”

“ I wanted to be a star, not a gallery mascot. ”

“ If I'm away from painting for a week, I get bored. ”

“ Occasionally, when I get mad at a woman, I'll do some great, awful painting about her. ”

“ I had some money, I made the best paintings ever. I was completely reclusive, worked a lot, took a lot of drugs. I was awful to people. ”

“ Believe it or not, I can actually draw. ”