Kevin Mahogany

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.

There’s no collection that has a better representation of post-war American art than David Geffen’s.

Good art will speak to you if you give it a chance.

The essence of all Art is to have pleasure in giving pleasure.

Art is constant tension and release. That is where artists live, between the two or at times, submerged in either.

Make the best of every moment. We’re not evolving. We’re not going anywhere.

I got more publicity for not doing a festival than for doing the festival.

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

One of the things about creativity is you can be in denial about these things. When I found out I had cancer, there were four hours in which I was pounding my head on the marble kitchen top saying, “I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it.” But then I felt as if this little army in uniform was flooding me. They had come to help me fight it. I felt really strong about it after that. It was one of the strongest periods of my life.

The arts are at the center of a nation’s purpose and a test of civilization.

The role of a museum of modern art is to make a good selection and identify what we believe to be the coming movements, and that requires taste.

I’ve always felt that a lot of modern art is a con, and that the most successful painters are often better salesmen and promoters than they are artists.

From my point of view, which is that of a storyteller, I see your life as already artful, waiting, just waiting and ready for you to make it art.

There is only 1 difference between a madman and me. I am not mad.

In the field of art, to be able to have lunch with Kirk Varnedoe is thrilling. I met him at Si and Victoria Newhouse’s dinner one night. Barnett Newman’s widow was there. That’s the part of me that’s a fan. Like when I was a kid and went to the Brooklyn Paramount. Well, my interest has expanded, and it’s not just rock-and-roll.