--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Marlene Dumas is one of the two or three…" description: "\"Marlene Dumas is one of the two or three most successful female artists alive, if you judge by prices. I've never reviewed her work, because I find not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/jerry-saltz-1712_alive_marlene-dumas-is-one-of-the-two-or-three_1017809.png" --- # Marlene Dumas is one of the two or three most successful… ![“Marlene Dumas is one of the two or three most successful female artists alive, if you judge by prices. I've never reviewed her work, because I find nothing in it to get excited about no matter how hard I look.” quote by Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/jerry-saltz-1712_alive_marlene-dumas-is-one-of-the-two-or-three_1017809.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/jerry-saltz-1712_alive_marlene-dumas-is-one-of-the-two-or-three_1017809.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/jerry-saltz-1712_alive_marlene-dumas-is-one-of-the-two-or-three_1017809.png) > “Marlene Dumas is one of the two or three most successful female artists alive, if you judge by prices. I've never reviewed her work, because I find nothing in it to get excited about no matter how hard I look.” [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success measured by market price does not guarantee artistic excitement or personal resonance. **In simple terms:** Price isn’t the only measure of art’s value. Key Takeaway Seek personal connection over market validation. Themes art market valuation subjectivity criticism personal taste Mood critical analytical Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - gallery shows - art collecting - personal reflection Key Concepts price excitement artist reputation Questions to Reflect On - How do you define artistic value? - Can high price coexist with personal excitement? A Different Perspective Market success can bias perception of artistic merit. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists/) [Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dumas/) [Female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female/) [Female artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female-artists/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [It's unfortunate that a lot of people think African-American female artists are monolithically R&B this-or-that, don't have to do anything by default.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/it-s-unfortunate-that-a-lot-of-people-think-african-american-female/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [The state of female artists is very good. 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Life comes from their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-boyd/female-artists-are-the-perfect-example-of-a-creator-they-know-how-to/) [Brandon Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-boyd/) > [Jhene Aiko, I like Zara Larsson, I like working with female artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-hus/jhene-aiko-i-like-zara-larsson-i-like-working-with-female-artists/) [J Hus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-hus/) > [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [When I criticize Joseph Beuys or Francis Bacon, nobody calls those opinions anti-male. Putting female artists or their subject matter off-limits is itself sexist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/when-i-criticize-joseph-beuys-or-francis-bacon-nobody-calls-those/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [“Unhappiness cannot but draw tighter the bonds which hold us fast to one another," General Dumas had written to Marie-Louise as he made his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/unhappiness-cannot-but-draw-tighter-the-bonds-which-hold-us-fast-to/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [A win for one is a win for all - and I'm not just saying that because Dumas did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-huffman/a-win-for-one-is-a-win-for-all-and-i-m-not-just-saying-that-because/) [Felicity Huffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-huffman/) > [The life of Dumas is not only a monument of endeavour and success, it is a sort of labyrinth as well. It abounds in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ernest-henley/the-life-of-dumas-is-not-only-a-monument-of-endeavour-and-success-it/) [William Ernest Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ernest-henley/) > [“DUMAS’S appearance made quite an impression on the Egyptians—a tall black man in a general’s uniform at the head of an army of whites.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/dumas-s-appearance-made-quite-an-impression-on-the-egyptians-a-tall/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“In all his adventures, the main thing that set Dumas apart was his refusal to countenance the bullying of the weak by the strong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/in-all-his-adventures-the-main-thing-that-set-dumas-apart-was-his/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“The novelist Dumas would one day borrow features from both of his uncles, not to mention his grandfather, the acknowledged scoundrel, in fashioning the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/the-novelist-dumas-would-one-day-borrow-features-from-both-of-his/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) > [“The real Dumas was imprisoned by Librans ages ago in an unlaid chicken's egg. I fed the hen to the alligators myself. Slow digestion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-scott-westby/the-real-dumas-was-imprisoned-by-librans-ages-ago-in-an-unlaid/) Daniel Scott Westby > [“Alex Dumas had the confidence that accompanies a life of physical exploits, along with an unwavering faith in the rightness of his actions that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reiss/alex-dumas-had-the-confidence-that-accompanies-a-life-of-physical/) [Tom Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reiss/) ## More by Jerry Saltz > [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Kinkade estimated that one of his paintings hung in every twenty homes in America. Yet the art world unanimously ignores or reviles him. Me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/kinkade-estimated-that-one-of-his-paintings-hung-in-every-twenty/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [The German ueber-photographer Andreas Gursky was the perfect pre-9/11 artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-german-ueber-photographer-andreas-gursky-was-the-perfect-pre-9-11/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [The debut show, “Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary,” is supposed to be about how artists reuse humble or unusual materials. 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In some ways, they're my favorite people in the art world. Really. I love that they put their money where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/i-love-art-dealers-in-some-ways-they-re-my-favorite-people-in-the-art/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [My nominee for Best Picture of the year - maybe the best picture ever, because it's essentially made up of and is an ecstatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/my-nominee-for-best-picture-of-the-year-maybe-the-best-picture-ever/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Many things happened in the sixties, but the period is no more significant, better, or more 'political' than today. 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'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/there-s-one-baldessari-work-i-genuinely-love-and-would-like-to-own/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) [Explore all 213 Jerry Saltz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. 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