---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a mystery to me the way that…"
description: "\"It's a mystery to me the way that contemporary art galleries function.\" — Steve Martin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fce/steve-martin-593_art_it-s-a-mystery-to-me-the-way-that-contem_448768.jpg"
---

#  It's a mystery to me the way that contemporary art…

![“It's a mystery to me the way that contemporary art galleries function.” quote by Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fce/steve-martin-593_art_it-s-a-mystery-to-me-the-way-that-contem_448768.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fce/steve-martin-593_art_it-s-a-mystery-to-me-the-way-that-contem_448768.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fce/steve-martin-593_art_it-s-a-mystery-to-me-the-way-that-contem_448768.jpg)

> “It's a mystery to me the way that contemporary art galleries function.”

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He finds contemporary art gallery operations puzzling and opaque.

**In simple terms:** Art galleries seem confusing.

Key Takeaway

Seek clarity before judging.

Themes

art contemporary culture confusion

Mood

curious skeptical

Type

analytical critical

When to use this quote

- gallery visits
- art buying
- curation
- artist representation

Key Concepts

institutional critique modernism

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do galleries seem secretive?
- How can transparency improve perception?

A Different Perspective

May ignore valuable art.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art galleries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-galleries/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/) [Contemporary art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-art/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Galleries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/galleries/) [Galleries Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/galleries-function-3920805/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-contemporary-3920806/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm a contemporary artist and I show in art galleries and museums. I show a number of photographs and films, but I also make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-jackson/i-m-a-contemporary-artist-and-i-show-in-art-galleries-and-museums-i/)

[Alison Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-jackson/)

> [We spend more time at cinemas, theaters, art galleries and theme parks than we do at churches, and they have become our new cathedrals.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-huffington/we-spend-more-time-at-cinemas-theaters-art-galleries-and-theme-parks/)

[Michael Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-huffington/)

> [I visit a lot of art galleries. I live in Dublin and there's a very good gallery called the Kevin Kavanagh gallery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/i-visit-a-lot-of-art-galleries-i-live-in-dublin-and-there-s-a-very/)

[Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/)

> [Art galleries are the best first date spots for my money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zawe-ashton/art-galleries-are-the-best-first-date-spots-for-my-money/)

[Zawe Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zawe-ashton/)

> [I love the art world, I love art galleries, I love what it means - I love art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-love-the-art-world-i-love-art-galleries-i-love-what-it-means-i-love/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [The lure in art collecting and its financial rewards, not counting for a moment its aesthetic, cultural and intellectual rewards, is like the trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/the-lure-in-art-collecting-and-its-financial-rewards-not-counting-for/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [In 1967 there was no place for photography in a contemporary art gallery. It was almost impossible to get an art dealer to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-bochner/in-1967-there-was-no-place-for-photography-in-a-contemporary-art/)

[Mel Bochner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-bochner/)

> [When I go to galleries in New York, I feel like I'm in school. I know that there's good contemporary conceptual art, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyp-malone/when-i-go-to-galleries-in-new-york-i-feel-like-i-m-in-school-i-know/)

[Kyp Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyp-malone/)

> [I would love to say there was some contemporary artist who's work really got me thinking, but lately I have just been trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-arcangel/i-would-love-to-say-there-was-some-contemporary-artist-who-s-work/)

[Cory Arcangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-arcangel/)

> [When we talk about contemporary art and contemporary artists, we usually imagine artists who are alive. But I feel very uncomfortable about placing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and-contemporary-artists-we/)

[Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/)

> [The problem with contemporary art is that no one bothers to do the research necessary to give people what they want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/the-problem-with-contemporary-art-is-that-no-one-bothers-to-do-the/)

[Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/)

> [A contemporary artist can use the findings of all epochs and all styles, from the most primitive literary expressions up to the most refined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-goytisolo/a-contemporary-artist-can-use-the-findings-of-all-epochs-and-all/)

[Juan Goytisolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-goytisolo/)

> [New materials are one of the great afflictions of contemporary art. Some artists confuse new materials with new ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/new-materials-are-one-of-the-great-afflictions-of-contemporary-art/)

[Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/)

> [We have created indoor installations inside museums, like the Wrapped Floor at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago in 1968, and not monumental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christo/we-have-created-indoor-installations-inside-museums-like-the-wrapped/)

[Christo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christo/)

> [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/)

[Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/)

## More by Steve Martin

> [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [“It was easy to be great. Every entertainer has a night when everything is clicking. These nights are accidental and statistical: Like lucky cards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/it-was-easy-to-be-great-every-entertainer-has-a-night-when-everything/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [I like a woman with a head on her shoulders. I hate necks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-like-a-woman-with-a-head-on-her-shoulders-i-hate-necks/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [“And after his unparsable response, including a passage where he said he was 'blurring the boundaries between a thing and thought,' she said, 'Thank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/and-after-his-unparsable-response-including-a-passage-where-he-said/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [I have no fear, no fear at all. I wake up, and I have no fear. I go to bed without fear. Fear, fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-have-no-fear-no-fear-at-all-i-wake-up-and-i-have-no-fear-i-go-to/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [“Be undeniably good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/be-undeniably-good/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [When I finally retire, I just want to go away so no one has to listen to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/when-i-finally-retire-i-just-want-to-go-away-so-no-one-has-to-listen/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [Only then does he realize what he has done to Mirabelle, how wanting a square inch of her and not all of her has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/only-then-does-he-realize-what-he-has-done-to-mirabelle-how-wanting-a/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [“Lacey was just as happy alone as with company. When she was alone, she was potential; with others she was realized. Alone, she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/lacey-was-just-as-happy-alone-as-with-company-when-she-was-alone-she/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [At first I had no skills in writing comedy. I didn't know what a joke was, but, as someone once told me, your emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/at-first-i-had-no-skills-in-writing-comedy-i-didn-t-know-what-a-joke/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [You cannot make your opportunities concur with the opportunities of people whose incomes are ten times greater than yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/you-cannot-make-your-opportunities-concur-with-the-opportunities-of/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [The lure in art collecting and its financial rewards, not counting for a moment its aesthetic, cultural and intellectual rewards, is like the trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/the-lure-in-art-collecting-and-its-financial-rewards-not-counting-for/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [My most persistent memory of stand - up is of my mouth being in the present and my mind being in the future: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/my-most-persistent-memory-of-stand-up-is-of-my-mouth-being-in-the/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [What I mean is that none of my talents had a - what's that great word - rubric. A singer, an actor, a dancer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/what-i-mean-is-that-none-of-my-talents-had-a-what-s-that-great-word/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

[Explore all 453 Steve Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's a mystery to me the way that contemporary art galleries function.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Steve Martin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/it-s-a-mystery-to-me-the-way-that-contemporary-art-galleries-function/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/it-s-a-mystery-to-me-the-way-that-contemporary-art-galleries-function/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fce/steve-martin-593_art_it-s-a-mystery-to-me-the-way-that-contem_448768.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fce/steve-martin-593_art_it-s-a-mystery-to-me-the-way-that-contem_448768.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fce/steve-martin-593_art_it-s-a-mystery-to-me-the-way-that-contem_448768.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's a mystery to me the way that contemporary art galleries function.” — Steve Martin",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Steve Martin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's a mystery to me the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/it-s-a-mystery-to-me-the-way-that-contemporary-art-galleries-function/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/it-s-a-mystery-to-me-the-way-that-contemporary-art-galleries-function/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
