Damien Hirst

“'Painting like a child' isn't a negative for me... it's something only great artists can really achieve. The childlike quality of some of Picasso's drawings is precisely what makes them so m...”

“Picasso, Michelangelo, possibly, might be verging on genius, but I don't think a painter like Rembrandt is a genius.”

“When it comes to the British monarchy, I prefer to be seduced by an image than presented with a real person. It's kind of a Warhol thing.”

“My Mum brought me up to believe that if you look after the pennies then the pounds look after themselves, and I could never do it.”

“No, I don't believe in genius. I believe in freedom. I think anyone can do it. Anyone can be like Rembrandt.”

“You'd never look at a Rembrandt and say, 'That's just wood and canvas and paint - how much?!' It's all about how many people want it. It works on a pair of jeans as well - they're just mater...”

“I gave up painting by 16. I secretly thought I would have been Rembrandt by then.”

“I've been asked to do a retrospective since I was about 28 and I always thought that was a bit odd. It's great to look forward as an artist because in the future the possibilities are infini...”

“People always say that my work is sensational or shocking but there are truly shocking things you could do, and my sculptures don't go anywhere near that.”

“Museums are for dead artists. I'd never show my work in the Tate. You'd never get me in that place.”

“I was taught to confront things you can't avoid. Death is one of those things. To live in a society where you're trying not to look at it is stupid because looking at death throws us back in...”