Michael Kimmelman quotes:

Drawing used to be a civilized thing to do, like reading and writing. It was taught in elementary schools. It was democratic. It was a boon to happiness.

Under ordinary circumstances, bad art naturally gets sorted out and disappears. That is how history works when it is left alone to do its job.

The paradox of the culture wars is that they have made celebrities out of some artists who would otherwise vanish. Censorship has become a growth industry. This may be the best argument, in the end, for unfettered freedom of expression.

All writers, all storytellers, are imposing their own narrative on something.

Art is not just about what's great or expensive or scandalous or famous. It's a mirror we hold up that looks different to everyone who sees it, and whose beauty lies as much in us, and our capacity to dream...

Art provides us with clues about how to live our own lives more fully... art becomes our entree to the sublime.

Art, not unlike raising children... may entail much sacrifice and periods of despair, but, with luck, the effort will produce something that outlives you.

Everything, even the most ordinary daily affair, is enriched by the lessons that can be gleaned from art...

It's not that there is no such thing as truth. But we come to like and trust a certain story, not because it's necessarily the most absolutely truthful, but because it's a thing that we tell ourselves makes sense of the world, at least at this moment.

Out of routine comes inspiration. That's the idea, anyway. To grasp what's exceptional, you first have to know what's routine.

The consolation of art comes in many forms... For some it is making, for others it is having.