The movie [Miral] is not pro-Palestinian. It's about Palestinians. It's a Palestinian story, written by a Palestinian person. I don't know anybody else that could have done that

You seem to make different concessions with yourself about what you want to focus on or not, and what you want to pay attention to.

I think style is a fringe benefit that looks like you made it.

I think beauty is a feeling that you get after you've had an experience. It's the way you feel about it that is beautiful.

My early paintings weren't that good - I was very influenced by Francis Bacon. But there was a kind of intensity there. And however influenced they may have been by other people, even my earliest paintings were recognisably my own.

The thing about living in New York is that there are other artists; that is the most difficult, I think they are the hardest critics.

I think it's good when people don't write good things about your work. I mean, what a great compliment it is to be called a charlatan.