The 10 best quotes about art by famous artists

Check out our select list of the best quotes about art by nine of history’s most famous painters and sculptors

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When it comes to making art, the whole point is to show rather than tell. After all, a picture is supposed to be worth 1,000 words, so it’s no surprise that most artists prefer to leave the talking to their work. But that doesn’t mean artists never say what’s on their minds.

Indeed, some of art history’s most famous figures have weighed in on any number of topics. But they’ve been especially eloquent on the subject of art and its ineffable qualities—as you’ll see in our list of the best quotes about art by famous artists. 

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Best quotes about art by famous artists

1. Leonardo da Vinci

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”

2. Michelangelo

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

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3. Pablo Picasso

“Good artists copy, great artists steal.”

4. Henri Matisse

“I don’t paint things. I only paint the difference between things.”

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5. Salvador Dali

“A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.” 

6. Georgia O'Keeffe

“I hate flowers. I paint them because they're cheaper than models and they don't move.”

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7. Frida Kahlo

“To paint is the most terrific thing that there is, but to do it well is very difficult.”

8. Mark Rothko

“A painting is not a picture of an experience, but is the experience.”

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9. Andy Warhol

“Art is what you can get away with.”

10. Yayoi Kusama

“People ask about art and commercialism. I think that if someone tries to sell their work at a high price, that is the wrong way of doing it.”

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11. Cindy Sherman

“Believing in one’s own art becomes harder and harder when the public response grows fonder.”

12. Kara Walker

“The artist is like an abuser of everything, picture, history, and other people.”

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