“I'm not a big theory person. So when I get asked questions that demand...” — Albert Oehlen Quote

“I'm not a big theory person. So when I get asked questions that demand serious statements, I just make it up.”

“I want to make beautiful paintings. But I don't make beautiful paintings by putting beautiful paint on a canvas with a beautiful motif. It just doesn't work. I expect my paintings to be strong and surprising.”

“If someone stands in front of one of my paintings and says, 'This is just a mess', the word 'just' is not so good, but 'mess' might be right. Why not a mess? If it makes you say, 'Wow, I've never seen anything like that', that's beautiful.”

“People who are much too sensitive to demand of cripples that they run races ask of the poor that they get up and act just like everyone else in the society.”

“Listen, we're still selling stardom. That doesn't go away because MTV decides they can't play videos or they want to program themselves more as a traditional T.V. station. Vevo and YouTube are like MTV online, and on demand.”

“No one much wants to be belittled, but we tolerate slurs surprisingly often for ourselves; for our lionised children, we demand freedom from insult.”