--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art wasn't for selling. Actually, we once…" description: "\"Art wasn't for selling. Actually, we once did have an offer on Double Negative. Things could be sold actually - everything could be for sale. But we ha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/virginia-dwan-29141_art_art-wasn-t-for-selling-actually-we-once_1569164.jpg" --- # Art wasn't for selling. Actually, we once did have an… ![“Art wasn't for selling. Actually, we once did have an offer on Double Negative. Things could be sold actually - everything could be for sale. But we had very few buyers. I think it was Michael Heizer who said that the point was to have a bigger canvas, and I've used that expression quite a bit…” quote by Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/virginia-dwan-29141_art_art-wasn-t-for-selling-actually-we-once_1569164.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/virginia-dwan-29141_art_art-wasn-t-for-selling-actually-we-once_1569164.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/190/virginia-dwan-29141_art_art-wasn-t-for-selling-actually-we-once_1569164.jpg) > “Art wasn't for selling. Actually, we once did have an offer on Double Negative. Things could be sold actually - everything could be for sale. But we had very few buyers. I think it was Michael Heizer who said that the point was to have a bigger canvas, and I've used that expression quite a bit. But I was thinking today that a canvas has boundaries; it has limit to it. And for earthwork, it was the very openness and feeling that there were no boundaries that made it so exciting.” [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art’s value lies beyond commerce; its freedom comes from limitless creative space, not market constraints. **In simple terms:** Art should be free, not just for sale. Key Takeaway Protect artistic freedom. Themes art freedom creativity commercialism Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - gallery exhibitions - public installations - artist residencies - curatorial practice Key Concepts aesthetic theory market dynamics conceptual art Questions to Reflect On - How can artists stay independent? - What role should patrons play? A Different Perspective Commercial pressures can still shape artistic choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [No boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-boundaries/) [Openness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/openness/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Selling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selling/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [Some ticket buyers think they don't like Jews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-l-warner/some-ticket-buyers-think-they-don-t-like-jews/) Jack L. Warner > [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [What's fun to me is that we can make movies but we are no longer restricted by this two-hour timeframe. It gives us this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-duffer/what-s-fun-to-me-is-that-we-can-make-movies-but-we-are-no-longer/) [Matt Duffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-duffer/) > [I love acting and certainly won't give it up, but it's part of a bigger canvas for me now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/i-love-acting-and-certainly-won-t-give-it-up-but-it-s-part-of-a/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [Being creative and emotional, artistes sometimes go through difficult phases in life, but one has to look at life as a bigger canvas. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saswata-chatterjee/being-creative-and-emotional-artistes-sometimes-go-through-difficult/) [Saswata Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saswata-chatterjee/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Success means crossing a limit. To cross a limit you need to assume that you have a limit. Assuming a limit is underestimating yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/success-means-crossing-a-limit-to-cross-a-limit-you-need-to-assume/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Man, there's no boundary line to art!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-parker/man-there-s-no-boundary-line-to-art/) [Charlie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-parker/) > [I have my team. Like if you see everyone around me - I have my hair and makeup girl, my assistant. They're very calm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergie/i-have-my-team-like-if-you-see-everyone-around-me-i-have-my-hair-and/) [Fergie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergie/) > [I love great music - it has no color, it has no boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-love-great-music-it-has-no-color-it-has-no-boundaries/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [In a lifestyle where there are no boundaries, it becomes a challenge to find one's true self. If everything comes easily, there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tami-hoag/in-a-lifestyle-where-there-are-no-boundaries-it-becomes-a-challenge/) [Tami Hoag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tami-hoag/) > [There are no boundaries or borders in the digital age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karim-rashid/there-are-no-boundaries-or-borders-in-the-digital-age/) [Karim Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karim-rashid/) > [I will go wherever the truth leads me. It is secular scholarship, Rebbe; it is not the scholarship of tradition. In secular scholarship there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/i-will-go-wherever-the-truth-leads-me-it-is-secular-scholarship-rebbe/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [I love performing on stage the most. It's getting that instant reaction from a live audience. There are no boundaries, you can take your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-ellison/i-love-performing-on-stage-the-most-it-s-getting-that-instant/) [Jennifer Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-ellison/) > [I love the idea of stepping out of the band situation into a solo world with no boundaries, no expectations, where nothing is out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/i-love-the-idea-of-stepping-out-of-the-band-situation-into-a-solo/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) ## More by Virginia Dwan > [I opened with Edward Kienholz's The Beanery, and that's such a controversial piece that I think that brought people right away. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-opened-with-edward-kienholz-s-the-beanery-and-that-s-such-a/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [Quite honestly, even as a woman dealer, I really wasn't interested in masculinity or femininity as such. What was important to me was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/quite-honestly-even-as-a-woman-dealer-i-really-wasn-t-interested-in/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [I think that Walter De Maria's Lightning Field, Michael Heizer's City, and Charles Ross's work in Star Axis New Mexico , all three will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-think-that-walter-de-maria-s-lightning-field-michael-heizer-s-city/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [I remember when I went to a gallery in Paris at one point, they had drawings of earthworks set in different places. I asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-remember-when-i-went-to-a-gallery-in-paris-at-one-point-they-had/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [The gallery closed its doors in 1971. I could no longer psychologically handle the needs of 12 artists. I cared about all of them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/the-gallery-closed-its-doors-in-1971-i-could-no-longer/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [What's happening in the larger world always influences art. When I first started the gallery in 1959, one of the first things I learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/what-s-happening-in-the-larger-world-always-influences-art-when-i/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [I think the four land artists I showed all worked within a few years of each other. And they were standard bearers, I suppose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-think-the-four-land-artists-i-showed-all-worked-within-a-few-years/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [I think Michael Heizer and Walter De Maria had a love-hate relationship because they both had a lot in common. But inevitably one would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-think-michael-heizer-and-walter-de-maria-had-a-love-hate/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [I didn't know Michael Heizer until I was preparing for my "Earthworks" show in 1968, and somebody called and told me to look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-didn-t-know-michael-heizer-until-i-was-preparing-for-my-earthworks/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [I remember very vividly. I was here in New York. Nancy Holt called me and - I feel unhappy thinking about it - she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-remember-very-vividly-i-was-here-in-new-york-nancy-holt-called-me/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [Making the effort is quite a pleasure in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/making-the-effort-is-quite-a-pleasure-in-itself/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [People should go to the works and experience them. Because just having an idea or picture in mind is absolutely not the experience that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/people-should-go-to-the-works-and-experience-them-because-just-having/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [Had opened a gallery I already had strong connections with New York, because I was taking work on consignment from New York dealers. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/had-opened-a-gallery-i-already-had-strong-connections-with-new-york/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [People tend to view land art as something that happened at a certain historical moment - like minimal art, which I was also very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/people-tend-to-view-land-art-as-something-that-happened-at-a-certain/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [I enjoyed cross-country road trips. And I found the work challenging because it was art that existed on the land rather than mere concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-enjoyed-cross-country-road-trips-and-i-found-the-work-challenging/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) [Explore all 18 Virginia Dwan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) ## 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 > [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": "Art wasn't for selling. 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