ByQuotes

Jean-Michel Basquiat Quotes

Powerful Jean-Michel Basquiat for Daily Growth

Since I was seventeen I thought I might be a star. I'd think about all my heroes, Charlie Parker, Jimi Hendrix... I had a romantic feeling about how these people became famous.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Romantic, Thought, Became, Famous

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

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Want, Made, Were, Paintings

The black person is the protagonist in most of my paintings. I realized that I didn't see many paintings with black people in them.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Black, Realized, Them, Paintings

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

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Woman, Some, About, Mad

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

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Real, Person, Real Person, Legend

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

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Art, Needs, Anybody, Critic

I have done only two portraits: one of the artist Francesco Clemente and another of Andy Warhol.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Artist, Another, Warhol, Portraits

My basic influence had probably been Peter Max.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Been, Peter, Had, Max

I thought I was going to be a bum the rest of my life.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Rest, My Life, Thought, Bum

For a while, I was drawing on good paper, but now I've gone back to the bad stuff. I put matte medium on it. If you put matte medium on it, it seals up, so it doesn't really matter.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Bad, Back, Bad Stuff, Seals

I was a really lousy artist as a kid. Too abstract expressionist; or I'd draw a big ram's head, really messy. I'd never win painting contests. I remember losing to a guy who did a perfect Spiderman.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Big, Perfect, I Remember, Spiderman

The country makes me more paranoid, you know? I think the crazy people out there are little crazier.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Think, Country, I Think, Crazier

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

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Painting, Week, Away, Bored

I have a painting where somebody's holding a chicken, and underneath the chicken is somebody's head.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Chicken, Head, Holding, Underneath

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.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Some, Made, Took, Reclusive

I wanted to be a cartoonist when I was young.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Young, Wanted, Cartoonist

I had very few friends. There was nobody I could trust. I left home when I was fifteen. I lived in Washington Square Park.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Trust, Fifteen, Very, Park

I played a guitar with a file, and a synthesizer.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Guitar, Played, Synthesizer, File

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

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Star, Wanted, Gallery

I start a picture and I finish it.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Start, Picture, Finish

There are about 30 words around you all the time, like 'thread' or 'exit.'

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Exit, Like, About, Thread

Some days I can't get an idea, and I think, 'Man, I'm just washed up,' but it's just a mood.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Think, Some, I Think, Washed

I like kids' work more than work by real artists any day.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Work, Like, Artists, Kids

Believe it or not, I can actually draw.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Believe, I Can, Actually, Draw

My favorite Twombly is 'Apollo and the Artist,' with the big 'Apollo' written across it.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Artist, Big, Across, Apollo

I was a cute kid.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Kid, Cute

The more I paint the more I like everything.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

More, Everything, Like, Paint

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

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Art, Think, About, Working

I wanted to build up a name for myself.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Myself, Name, Build, Wanted

Charles Saatchi has never liked my work at all.

- Jean-Michel Basquiat

Work, Never, Liked, Charles

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.