Jean-Michel Basquiat

I don't think about art when I'm working. I try to think about life.

I'm not a real person. I'm a legend.

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

Art is how we decorate space; music is how we decorate time.

I like to work with my hands.

I start a picture and I finish it. I don't think about it while I'm working.

I don't listen to what art critics say. I don't know anybody who needs a critic to find out what art is.

I'm not a political person. I'm a painter.

It's not about art, it's about life.

I had a lot of jobs. I was a street artist. I was a musician. I was a poet.

I don't think I'm a genius. I think I'm just a guy who paints.

I paint what I see, what I feel.

I'm not a fan of art. I'm a fan of life.

I don't want to be an art star. I want to be a real star.

I never went to art school. I just painted.

I don't like to be categorized.

I paint spontaneously.

I use words like a brush.

I'm not trying to make pretty pictures.

I just want to make good paintings.