--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I didn't even realize that people bought…" description: "\"I didn't even realize that people bought contemporary art . . . that people actually paid for it.\" — Wade Guyton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/wade-guyton-25994_art_i-didn-t-even-realize-that-people-bought_116714.jpg" --- # I didn't even realize that people bought contemporary art… ![“I didn't even realize that people bought contemporary art . . . that people actually paid for it.” quote by Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/wade-guyton-25994_art_i-didn-t-even-realize-that-people-bought_116714.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/wade-guyton-25994_art_i-didn-t-even-realize-that-people-bought_116714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/wade-guyton-25994_art_i-didn-t-even-realize-that-people-bought_116714.jpg) > “I didn't even realize that people bought contemporary art . . . that people actually paid for it.” [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The market’s willingness to pay for contemporary art reveals a collective belief in its cultural value, even if that belief feels surprising. **In simple terms:** People actually buy modern art. Key Takeaway Art’s value is socially constructed. Themes art market culture value perception Mood curious neutral Type observation When to use this quote - gallery sales - auction houses - online art platforms Key Concepts economic sociology Practical Applications - educate buyers on artistic context Questions to Reflect On - Why do we assign monetary value to aesthetic objects? - How does hype influence art prices? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Contemporary art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-art/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I had no idea what to expect moving to New York. It's embarrassing to say, but I didn't even realize that people bought contemporary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/i-had-no-idea-what-to-expect-moving-to-new-york-it-s-embarrassing-to/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [There are people that like contemporary art and people that like old art, and I like old art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-owens/there-are-people-that-like-contemporary-art-and-people-that-like-old/) [Rick Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-owens/) > [I rather like contemporary art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lawson/i-rather-like-contemporary-art/) [Denis Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lawson/) > [Few contemporary artists mined the space between the ordinary and the strange better than Orozco did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/few-contemporary-artists-mined-the-space-between-the-ordinary-and-the/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [The Metropolitan Museum of Art some time ago held a display of contemporary art at which $52,000 was awarded to American sculptors, painters, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-keller/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art-some-time-ago-held-a-display-of/) [James Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-keller/) > [The museum in D.C. is really a narrative museum - the nature of a people and how you represent that story. Whereas the Studio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/the-museum-in-d-c-is-really-a-narrative-museum-the-nature-of-a-people/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [Certainly being in California has encouraged a sustained commitment to rethinking the nature, purposes, and relevance of the contemporary arts, specifically music, for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/certainly-being-in-california-has-encouraged-a-sustained-commitment/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [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/) > [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 Wade Guyton > [To some extent I've always taken the architecture of the space into account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/to-some-extent-i-ve-always-taken-the-architecture-of-the-space-into/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [I came late to galleries. A lot of people my age started their careers younger, so I was spared seeing that side for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/i-came-late-to-galleries-a-lot-of-people-my-age-started-their-careers/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [I've never seen a postcard of my work in a museum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/i-ve-never-seen-a-postcard-of-my-work-in-a-museum/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [I don't know what it was like in the '80s. I don't really even know what it was like in the '90s, because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/i-don-t-know-what-it-was-like-in-the-80s-i-don-t-really-even-know/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [I was really naïve. I had no idea artists made money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/i-was-really-na-ve-i-had-no-idea-artists-made-money/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [As I was walking down the stairs, I kept thinking that the room felt like a movie theater with all your attention on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/as-i-was-walking-down-the-stairs-i-kept-thinking-that-the-room-felt/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [The Internet has a lot of solutions. I found an insane way to trap chipmunks - it was too crazy not to try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/the-internet-has-a-lot-of-solutions-i-found-an-insane-way-to-trap/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [The way I make drawings is just with a desktop Epson C88 printer and they are designed to break, they are really cheap. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/the-way-i-make-drawings-is-just-with-a-desktop-epson-c88-printer-and/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [When I was younger and was working as a Dia guard I would go to see everything. I went to every opening. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/when-i-was-younger-and-was-working-as-a-dia-guard-i-would-go-to-see/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [Well, art has to be sexy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/well-art-has-to-be-sexy/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [I hated art as a kid. I didn't even like art class. I didn't like to draw. I would make my dad do all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/i-hated-art-as-a-kid-i-didn-t-even-like-art-class-i-didn-t-like-to/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [We are all frustrated with computers, all the time... But we also always develop a relationship with computers these days - something my parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/we-are-all-frustrated-with-computers-all-the-time-but-we-also-always/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [I don't really live the bohemian life. I come to work in Midtown everyday, along with all the work-a-day folk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/i-don-t-really-live-the-bohemian-life-i-come-to-work-in-midtown/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [I think as a student I ended up liking so many different and conflicting things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/i-think-as-a-student-i-ended-up-liking-so-many-different-and/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) > [My father is not around any more, so I cannot ask him to do my drawings for me. So, I had to find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/my-father-is-not-around-any-more-so-i-cannot-ask-him-to-do-my/) [Wade Guyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) [Explore all 22 Wade Guyton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/) ## 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": "I didn't even realize that people bought contemporary art . . . that people actually paid for it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wade Guyton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/i-didn-t-even-realize-that-people-bought-contemporary-art-that-people/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/i-didn-t-even-realize-that-people-bought-contemporary-art-that-people/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/wade-guyton-25994_art_i-didn-t-even-realize-that-people-bought_116714.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/wade-guyton-25994_art_i-didn-t-even-realize-that-people-bought_116714.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9d/wade-guyton-25994_art_i-didn-t-even-realize-that-people-bought_116714.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I didn't even realize that people bought contemporary art . . . that people actually paid for it.” — Wade Guyton", "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": "Wade Guyton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-guyton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I didn't even realize that people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/i-didn-t-even-realize-that-people-bought-contemporary-art-that-people/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-guyton/i-didn-t-even-realize-that-people-bought-contemporary-art-that-people/#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 } } ] } ```