Bennie Wallace

Mother’s taste was eclectic and ranged from the ancient world to the contemporary from Europe to the U.S.

An artist can only be evaluated after he’s dead. At the 11th hour he might do something that will eclipse everything else.

Great art is never produced for its own sake. It is too difficult to be worth the effort.

Which painting in the National Gallery would I save if there was a fire? The one nearest the door of course.

A museum has to renew its collection to be alive, but that does not mean we give on important old works.

There is nothing new… everything has roots in the past.

Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable.

A poem is a naked person… Some people say that I am a poet.

The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.

I think of art as the highest level of creativity. To me, it is one of the greatest sources of enjoyment.

Mother’s interest in contemporary American artists emerged during the 1920s.

If you hold onto the beauty and inspiration and the clarity that is music, you will have an anchor, you will not be too far swayed by what the world is.

It’s like telling Michelangelo: ‘I know you painted this dope angel, that was really good, but Michelangelo, I don’t think you can paint a cow.’

This type of soul, this type of art takes a while to cook. It’s like when my wife cooks for me and I always ask for greens. She never wants to cook the greens because they take three hours to cook.