I believe that at the beginning of the life of every artist there is some kind of trauma. We have a problem and all of our life we try to speak about this problem. My trauma was historical. When I… — Christian Boltanski Copy Share Image
We all die twice - once when we actually die and once when no one on earth recognizes our photograph. — Christian Boltanski Copy Share Image
When I was four or five years old, I heard a lot of stories about the Holocaust because both my parents were survivors. I'm… — Christian Boltanski Copy Share Image
... in the eyes of its visitors, Venice has no reality of its own. Anyone visiting the place has already seen so many pictures of it that they can only attempt to view it via these clichés, and they take home photographs of Venice that are similar to the ones they already knew. Venice [is] becoming like one of those… — Christian Boltanski Copy Share
The more you work, the less you exist. I believe (at least, I used to believe, because I no longer think this is entirely… — Christian Boltanski Copy Share Image
There are very few times in creation in your life. One time is when you become an adult, one time is when your parents… — Christian Boltanski Copy Share Image
I think it is very important to know that we are going to die. Now we refuse the fact of dying. There was once… — Christian Boltanski Copy Share Image
In most of my photographic pieces I have manipulated the quality of the evidence that people assign to photography, in order to subvert it,… — Christian Boltanski Copy Share Image
The fact that you were born means that there are no other children born because of you – you’ve killed them in a way. — Christian Boltanski Copy Share Image
I never take photographs myself. I don’t feel like a photographer, more like a recycler — Christian Boltanski Copy Share Image
The sole fact of having a school to train creative people is absolute lunacy... The idea of 'pedagogical vision' is ignoble, it has nothing… — Christian Boltanski Copy Share Image
It's pretentious to say, but my art is like a little Zen story, a story with a question mark at the end. People can take from it what they need. If somebody says, "Your art is very funny," I say, "You are totally right." If somebody says, "Your art is very sad," I say, "You are totally right." In Japan… — Christian Boltanski Copy Share
We're painting the same people all our life - it's just the way we look at them that changes. If you experience trauma, you… — Christian Boltanski Copy Share Image
