Jeff Koons

“The job of the artist is to make a gesture and really show people what their potential is. It's not about the object, and it's not about the image; it's about the viewer. That's where the art happens.”

“Art to me is a humanitarian act and I believe that there is a responsibility that art should somehow be able to affect mankind, to make the world a better place.”

“Embrace your past. It's your own culture. It's your own history. It's your own biography. And you can take it and make a new gesture.”

“I try to be a truthful artist and I try to show a level of courage. I enjoy that. I'm a messenger.”

“A viewer might be looking at a work of art, but the art is also looking at the viewer.”

“To be an artist is to have curiosity and to be alive. And you don't have to be a painter or a sculptor. You can be a musician, you can be a filmmaker.”

“Art is a pretext for a dialogue.”

“I believe in advertisement and media completely. My art and my personal life are based in it.”

“I'm basically the idea person. I'm not physically involved in the production. I don't have the necessary abilities, so I go to the best people.”

“What's great about art is that it's the vehicle that takes you to a higher state of consciousness.”

“I've always loved the surrealists, I've always loved Dada.”

“The one thing that's always been constant is that I've always been interested in judgment.”

“I work with my own intuition. I don't really know what's going to happen.”

“Art should be a vehicle for the transcendence of the self.”

“I want to be a political artist, but I want to be a humanist.”

“Remove judgment, and you have acceptance. In acceptance, all things are possible.”

“I think of the art world as a cargo cult.”

“My work is about giving into your own history and giving into your own desires and being non-judgmental.”