It is very important to develop the thing that you are naturally good at, that you are truly interested in.

The person you admire was true to himself. You can only truly honour him by being true to yourself.

I have never understood, for instance, why some people see contemporary art as divided between 'painting' and 'conceptual art', as though this represented a genuine division.

In the period of '60s to the '90s, British art schools were small, and the number of student was small. The personal contact was great.

There is a complete difference between art and the art market. Prices are high now for the simple reason that there are people are willing to pay them. The market dominates the art world today because at the moment collectors call the shots. Like everything else that won't last forever.

I had my exhibition of paintings first in Shanghai, and then recently in Wuhan. Wuhan particularly interested me, because I am 1/8 Chinese.

'Understanding' art is like having a sense of humour - if you don't have one, no amount of explanation is going to make you laugh.