ArtProcess
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“You change the world by being yourself.”
Yoko Ono
Cut Piece
1964
performed in New Works of Yoko Ono,
Carnegie Recital Hall, New York
March 21, 1965
Photo: Minoru Niizuma
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“The purpose of art is mystery.”
René Magritte
The Rape
1966
graphite on wove paper
35.9 x 27 cm (14 1/8 x 10 5/8 in.)
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“Concept is king. Without a strong idea, style is just decoration.”
– Unknown
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I’d be a little jealous if your art made it into MoMA!
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“My painting is not violent, it’s life that is violent. Even within the most beautiful landscape, in the trees, under the leaves, the insects are eating each other; violence is a part of life. We are born with a scream; we come into life with a scream and maybe love is a mosquito net between the fear of living and the fear of death.”
Francis Bacon
Study for Portrait
1977
oil and dry transfer lettering on canvas
78 x 58 1/8 in.
Price realised
USD 49,812,500
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“It is important to express oneself…provided the feelings are real and are taken from you own experience.”
Berthe Morisot (1841-1895)
Après le déjeuner
1881
oil on canvas
31 7/8 x 39 3/8 in.
Price realised
GBP 6,985,250
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“If I saw the art around me that I liked, then I wouldn’t do art.”
John Baldessari
Inflatable Women/Divers/Baby
1988
Black and white photographs, oil tint, and vinyl paint
91 x 72½ in.
Price realised
USD 314,500
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“I’d always wanted to know the difference between a mark that was art and one that wasn’t.” — Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997)
Kiss III
1962
Magna on canvas
64 x 48 in.
Price realised
USD 31,135,000
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Paintings from thrift stores.
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Many artists do start with realism because it helps build foundational skills like observation, proportion, and technique. Over time, some move toward abstraction as they become more interested in expressing ideas, emotions, or experimenting with form and color beyond literal representation.
However, not all artists follow this trajectory. Some dive straight into abstraction, while others stick with realism their entire lives. It really depends on the artist’s interests, influences, and creative journey.
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“Unlike the artists behind many of Shaw’s thrift-store paintings, the “bad painters” of art history were often technically skilled. They made a conscious decision to ignore the standards of good taste and good style, which wasn’t always intuitive.”
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“What a funny thing painting is. The abstract painters always insist on their connection with the visible reality, while the so called figurative artists insist that what they really care about, is the abstract qualities of life.”
Marlene Dumas (b. 1953)
The White Disease
signed, titled and dated ‘The White disease Marlene Dumas 1985’ (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
51 3/8 x 43½ in. (130.5 x 110.5 cm.)
Painted in 1985.
Price realised
USD 998,500
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“You really need faith in yourself to make art and to stand up for what you believe in.”
Elizabeth Peyton (b. 1965)
Annette Greenwich St.
signed with the artist’s initials, titled and dated ‘Annette Greenwich St. EP 2004’ (on the reverse)
oil on panel
14 x 11 in. (35.5 x 27.9 cm.)
Painted in 2004.
Price realised
USD 365,000
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“Painting is a means of translating what is intangible into something that can be grasped visually.”
Elmer Nelson Bischoff (American, 1916-1991)
Girls, Ocean, Mirror
signed, titled and dated ‘Elmer Bischoff/ Girls, Ocean, Mirror/ 10/61’ (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
53 ¾ x 72 in. (136.5 x 182.9 cm.)
Price realised
USD 100,000