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Quote by Kehinde Wiley

“I was 12 in 1989 during perestroika, when my mother found a program that sent me to Russia to study art in the forests outside of Leningrad.”

Quote by Kehinde Wiley

Author

Kehinde Wiley is a renowned contemporary painter known for his modern interpretations of traditional portraiture. His works typically depict portraits of African Americans, Latinos, and other minorities, blending elements of history, culture, and pop culture. Born in 1977, Wiley's work has had a profound impact on the art world. more

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“It was probably one of the things that gave me a sense of possibility and allowed for me to see beyond the small community that I existed within. You know, I was making friends with young Soviet kids. this is during perestroika. You know, there's bread lines and vodka lines. The entire social structure of what was then the Soviet Union was radically different from what we know today.”

Knows Different Kids Today Young Social Community Lines Possibility Structure Unions Bread Soviet Within You Soviet Union Vodka Making Friends Social Structure Small Communities

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“I think it was a matter of, like, I'm not going to have my kids in these wild streets. Both my twin brother and I were in art school together.”

Thinking Art Matter Kids School Together Streets Brother Twins Art School Twin Brother

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“[My twin brother] he was the star artist of the family as we - as we were growing up. He eventually lost interest and went more towards literature and then medicine and then business and so on. But for me it became something that I did well. And it felt great being able to make something look like something.”

Wells Looks Able Artist Literature Lost Stars Felt Interest Growing Up Growing Brother Medicine Twins Like Something Twin Brother

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“Portraiture is something that we're all drawn to. I think primarily other forms - we prefer, by and large, to look at human beings than a bowl of fruit.”

Thinking Humans Looks Form Human Beings Fruit Bowls Portraiture

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“We're wired to be empathetic and to care about the needs of others, but also to be curious about others. And I think that's just sort of in our DNA. And so portraiture is a very human act.”

Thinking Needs Humans Care Curious Dna Empathetic Portraiture Needs Of Others

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“In high school I went to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. And this is like Fame. It's like that sort of prototypical, dancers in the hallway, theater students, musical students, art geeks. And it was a kindergarten in the truest sense of the world: a children's garden where I was able to sort of really come into myself as an artist, as a person, sexuality issues - like, all of this became something where there was a firming-up and a knowing that went on.”

World Children Persons Art Able School Artist Knowing Issues Students Fame High School Garden Theater Musical Sexuality Dancer Los Angeles Geek County Truest Kindergarten Hallways

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“I had an amazing instructor, Joseph Gotto , who, as a painter, spoke to me as it - he didn't condescend.”

Painter Spokes Instructors

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“Joseph Gotto, yeah. Just all-around one of the more inspiring artists - not because of any sort of specific content direction, but rather the respect that I had for his own work and the ability for him to translate his ideas into useful form for me as a student.”

Ideas Form Artist Ability Students Yeah Translate Inspiring Artist

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“After high school I went to the San Francisco Art Institute, and I began a formalized art education where we went through the history of art but we also went through the art of my contemporaries.”

Art School High School San Francisco Institute Art Education After High School

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“And as a young black man, a lot of my professors would really think that it was useful to see the work of politically oriented, positivistic, leftist creative works. And I found it incredibly useful. And I found it something that I've learned from and gained from.”

Thinking Men Young Found Black Creative I've Learned Professors Creative Work Leftists

Author:Kehinde Wiley