Artist Quotes by Barry McGee

9 Artist quotes by Barry McGee

Barry McGee’s reflections on the artist appear in nine brief lines, each pulsing with his gritty, urban aesthetic. The collection provides a quick, edgy taste of his contemporary street‑art perspective.

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I want to do just, like, regular art. Whatever is made today on canvas goes up against all of art history. Its…

Barry McGee

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I wasn't trying to turn graffiti into an art form. I just wanted to learn about art. I wanted to learn this…

Barry McGee

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The parts of graffiti I like are really antagonizing still - it's not something that a museum would really embrace.

Barry McGee

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I just try to get away with as much as I can. I don't think that's very radical in the art world.

Barry McGee

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Some people are enraged, and some people are applauding. If there were a mission statement for graffiti, that would be it.

Barry McGee

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Drawings, paintings, and sculptures. That's the three pillars of art academia.

Barry McGee

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Street artists need to get back to actually doing things on the streets instead of in the galleries where they all seem…

Barry McGee

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I love biographies. I read Patti Smith's 'Just Kids.' I'm into that time frame in New York, the '70s and '80s. In…

Barry McGee

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For me, graffiti means making marks on surfaces using just about anything, be it markers, spray, paint, chalk, lipstick, varnish, ink. Or…

Barry McGee

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More by Barry McGee

I love graffiti because it enables kids from every social extraction to do something that brings them closer to art, when they normally wouldn't…

Barry McGee

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If I could get the respect of 14-year-olds, I'm happy. They're the toughest audience.

Barry McGee

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I like the idea that you can paint something outdoors, and anyone can see it. It's open to anyone, and people have to deal…

Barry McGee

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Some of my favorite pieces are from thrift shops. When I find something I really love, I live, work and sleep in it.

Barry McGee

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That's immediately how I gauge how healthy a city is-by the amount of tags. It's just in direct competition with advertising. It's still one…

Barry McGee

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Street artists need to get back to actually doing things on the streets instead of in the galleries where they all seem to be…

Barry McGee

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The parts of graffiti I like are really antagonizing still - it's not something that a museum would really embrace.

Barry McGee

Image

I just try to get away with as much as I can. I don't think that's very radical in the art world.

Barry McGee

Image

I want to do just, like, regular art. Whatever is made today on canvas goes up against all of art history. Its the most…

Barry McGee

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I read in a weird way. It comes in waves, and then I start, like, five different books at once. It takes me six…

Barry McGee

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As soon as I start reading, drawing comes to me more easily. I find I work in my sketchbooks more. But if I'm working…

Barry McGee

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I have tons of art books. I have them all over the place. They are in my car, in my bag, and in my…

Barry McGee

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Most inspiration still comes from bicycling around San Francisco. This city never fails to inspire me. It is one of the most vibrant cities…

Barry McGee

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I see a really good tag on a building, a man passed out in the middle of the street, a couple hugging, a cop…

Barry McGee

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For me, graffiti means making marks on surfaces using just about anything, be it markers, spray, paint, chalk, lipstick, varnish, ink. Or it can…

Barry McGee

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