One night in 2001, on a visit to New York, I discovered the Art Students League. I was a tourist from Argentina—I had no plans to live in the city. Yet, as soon as I walked in the building, my hands warmed and I felt I belonged there. As I left 57th Street that first…
“I studied with Alex Katz, who I found totally intriguing as a person. I didn’t understand half of what he was saying, but I followed him around, because when he did say something, it was right on, and he had a great way of describing art history.”
“Everybody, every human being, every squirrel and every elephant needs to create. We’re not going to stop anybody from creating. One of the great things about the Art Students League is that people can come and create. Creating is healing. But not everybody is a great artist.” —Audrey Flack
“There is a pleasure principle in all art, OK? For me that must include something else which is incredibly important, which is what I talked about before—that human element.” —Burton Silverman
I wanted to be a good artist, but I wanted to define what that meant.
“If I had any flair and ability as an artist, it lay with interpreting people, whether the cowboy or the pretty girl. I called it “cowboys and cleavage.” —Everett Raymond Kinstler