Cecily Brown Interview: Take No Prisoners

Cecily Brown is considered a central figure in the resurgence of painting at the turn of the century. We met the praised British painter at her New York studio for a talk about borrowing imagery from other artists, and how she has always responded to dark, scary art.
“Art was something that seemed very glamorous and dangerous to me as a child.” Brown nurtured an early fascination with the “scary” art, such as Francis Bacon, and would rummage her parents’ art books for the very darkest pictures, such as a particular painting by George Grosz of a butcher shop with human meat in it: “I had sneak looks at it, like you might look at Playboy or something.”
Brown, who had been painting naked women for several years, felt an urge to move on to painting men and boys. The painting ‘Young Spartans Exercising’ by Edgar Degas (1860) helped her move on to this: “Lots of artists are like magpies, where you steal or you take or you borrow what you need from somebody. But then obviously - and hopefully - it gets transformed.” This is characteristic of how Brown draws inspiration from her favourite painters and paintings, absorbing and changing images and ultimately making them her own.
“The element of surprise has to be there.” Brown prefers to “contradict” herself, and to push her paintings to a degree where she actually risks losing something good. She sums up this approach by quoting her friend, German painter Charlene von Heyl: “Take no prisoners.”
Cecily Brown (b. 1969) is a British painter. Brown creates vivid, atmospheric depictions of fragmented bodies, often in erotic positions in the midst of swells of colour and movement. This has made many compare her to painters such as Francis Bacon and Francisco Goya, and she is furthermore credited as a central figure in the resurgence of painting at the turn of the millennium. Brown has exhibited extensively, including at The Saatchi Gallery in London and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Solo shows have also been held at prominent venues such as Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills, New York and London, Contemporary Fine Arts in Berlin and Kunsthalle in Mannheim. She lives and works in New York City.
Cecily Brown was interviewed by Kasper Bech Dyg in her studio in New York City in November 2014.
Camera: Pierce Jackson
Produced and edited by: Kasper Bech Dyg
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2015
Supported by Nordea-fonden

[@georgemarklow4683]

"You have to be able to risk losing it" - a perfect ending to the interview, and very true. She's a huge inspiration to me.

[@nuascannan]

Exactly! You have to risk...

[@aaimba]

Knowing the intentions and aspirations of artists is so important in my opinion! These thought processes are incredible inspirational and liberating. Thanks for this interview.

[@arbitrarychemistry]

Have been a fan of Cecily’s for years. Hearing her talk about her work and inspiration is inspiring to my own work, 💚

[@JadenJahci]

What a Beautiful BEAUTIFUL lovely artistic soul... What a great interview! Thank You.

[@elzavala1898]

Brilliant interview, and wonderful work. Brown has insight only real passion can come across, and it speaks through her work. I disagree with the notion you can't be surprised even if you have drawn a sketch before approaching a painting. Very often I find when I go to a painting with a sketch it evolves further then what I had planned, and it becomes something I had not expected. Don't be afraid to approach a painting with a sketch, but be willing to accept change, play with it, and be open to the truth as it reveals itself. You'll know if the painting is dead or not. There is no one way to start a painting. Be free!

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

I agree...I write poetry and the difference between a fused and finished version, the evolution of it, always surprises me.

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

I’d like to hear a modern discussion if divine madness...

[@wileycom]

Don’t know who YOU are but I Love you. Your comment gave me courage to face the canvas today.

[@juliearvaniti7336]

she really is an inspiration for me. I love her paintings, her way of thinking and her style I wish I was her student or her friend

[@garethgough4112]

Wiser than her years...what a wonderful and beautiful interview

[@ladyj3474]

I was at the Metropolitan Opera House last evening and discovered Cecily Brown's Vanities. It captivates and indeed, it slowly reveals itself in a seductive, playfulway. I love the color, the unclean as well as the brights and lipstick shades. Feminine, theatrical, sexy yet mysterious, child like and masterful at the same time. Bright colors, sunny and pink that define nightlife. Hinted anatomy that is kinetic, love it, great work Cecily Brown. It does what you desire your work to do as defined in your first spoken sentence here.

[@hmax1591]

Love her work. That painting in the background is great piece. Is funny how she made reference to the dog peering over the wall and the person never being able to see the painting the same way, it happened to me, as she made reference to the Degas painting of the Young Spartans and seeing some reference to it in her work. she made a very good point about the magpie, borrowing from one another. Can you imagine if painters would take other painters to court because they borrowed something from their work, like musicians do?

[@slapflipable]

Incredible interview. Have never heard anyone put my own thoughts so well into words, Thank you!

[@martynwonder]

do you paint?

[@colincourtney6508]

yes, I paint.

[@martynwonder]

me too,where can i see them?. I would like to see them because i agree with her and your comment .

[@colincourtney6508]

my instagram is @cocotoasty thats proably the best place to see my work, uness you are interested in current work ad Ill send you some images via email

[@martynwonder]

c00l 2 see, u def. make s0me weird stuff. keep it up .

[@tyrellthompson1237]

Beautiful, this touches on not just a professional level but also amateur. Her message is relative to ones whole process in making art. Lovely.

[@marquamfurniture]

I this this woman's ability to articulate the workings of an artist's mind.

[@chineainguanzo6341]

Great work! It's got all you're soul inundated into the piece.

[@nikkinous]

12:00 I totally feel this way exactly how she is explaining it. Very inspiring

[@Calle-zm5dl]

insightful, clear, straightforward. And the paintings are beautiful.

[@bryandibucci583]

Cecily Brown, great sense of perspective 😄😇👌

[@firelordOzai3]

What she says about Abstract art being at risk of just being paint ‘showing off’ and maybe a bit pointless hit really close to my heart, a person who’s always believed that photorealism is the highest display of skill in painting but I’ve never seen a hyperrealistic painting or drawing that make me feel like these paintings - including my own.

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

She’s right about the Degas...the girl’s hand on her head provides the darkness. I had very long hair and my mother was not gentle. It was painful and I would do the same thing with my hand. That painting always disturbed me. Great insights...learned a lot!

[@anandalal5]

Interesting interview, though I find it hilarious that she mentions her mother working with David Sylvester on Francis Bacon's book, without mentioning that David Sylvester is her father! I wonder why that is? (Irony font missing, but you get my drift.)

[@peopleschum]

Yes, a conspicuous omission. Are you saying she is professionally gynocentric and that name checking her dad would tarnish the narrative of her success in the art world? I remember her from the Slade, she was an interesting student and a confident presence.

[@anandalal5]

No, just always suspicious of someone who 'made it' in the artworld who 'happens' to have a hot line to the same through 'connections.' The 2 aren't exactly unrelated or am I being too cynical?

[@peopleschum]

It's an interesting question, I know only (first hand), the art world in London some years ago. I happen to know very well connected people who haven't made it despite ambition. I also know of quite a few (in my opinion) less talented people who did well, at least for their fifteen minutes. So I am guessing family connections can be a mixed blessing and like any profession, a certain amount of being easy-to-work with goes a long way. Conversely talented but awkward people are not going to be trusted. Eg, changing styles too suddenly or too often is a bad career move.

[@palomaalhambra2453]

@@peopleschum I wonder why Picasso made it big then. Talking of style changes. Didn't do him any harm apparently.

[@palomaalhambra2453]

@Jules Hahaha. Whooooosh.

[@taylorMFilms]

This is a great interview. There are real gems of wisdom in it along with the superb art and artist.

[@hamburgler227]

Great talk. Funny how she was tuned in precisely to the challenges facing young men back in 2015

[@imawarioimagonnawinn]

wonderful interview...what a living master she is

[@jurgenczwienk1960]

Jonathan Bray I am really attracted how precise she spoke about an important view inside of here work. Unblury. Brilliant. Love it😊

[@creativedistraction5483]

What's so masterful about her work?

[@JohnSmith-bw6pv]

agreed i hate people who cant paint for shit yet like to make up and pretend theyre prestigious

[@nikolausgerszewski2086]

I like that work, it's completely independent of contemporary art discourses.

[@paulvest3157]

Wow. She nails it. Like Pollock, he struggled with the loss of specific imagery when the coarse of his development led him to total abstraction. He felt "hungry" and introduced human imagery back in his work, much to the dislike of critic Greenberg. I have not heard an artist explain this tension as well as Cecily Brown does here. Side note: Her work really hits perfectly and are simply wonderful in that they are relics to our time and place in artistic development.

[@sukantasingha6511]

This is one of the best interview

[@rolandwollerstam8744]

I am so happy to hear how similar you can be in your thinking about painting while learning so much. Outstanding interview.

[@dianejarvis270]

Loved this! My kind of art. Thank you.

[@mehrdadmohajer3847]

Lovely woman & powerful Artist. like to see her progress in years to come. thx🍻

[@teodelfuego]

Amazing! Finally someone with my exact same taste in art.

[@marquamfurniture]

Graf Lennard Von Rhein-Neckar -- We'd love to hear more about your exquisite taste in art.

[@molly9929]

He prolly like some paintings (not art) of dogs and birds. Maybe some pathetic realism paintings. Maybe he love Raphael, without understanding him. He don't have a good taste, coz, he prolly don't know how to taste art.

[@simonkonitz3054]

I just fell in love with Cecily Brown

[@Watson_Holmes]

Names I think I heard. George Gross Gorky de Koony Rothko Newman Miro Edgar Degas Francis Bacon

[@suntzu3541]

Beautiful works. Well done!

[@clamda]

Degas understood that what was as important as his figures was the space between them.

[@epictetus9221]

Degas also lived in a very different world.

[@nottavictim5]

The show up now at Paula Cooper is next level. See it!

[@brunildamarrero2095]

This video been helpful, thank you

[@susanh8511]

Such lovely paintings.

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

I cannot imagine life in the absence of art.

[@JanisKudins]

Rupert Spira would love this. Pure nonduality at its best, when you understand it.

[@Mario-zo1uj]

Yes .

[@احمدجميل-ت5ظ]

Beautiful thank you very much

[@chineainguanzo6341]

Gorky is a favorite,and de Kooning too.also.imyoure admirer.

[@kareneriksen7440]

She is so ELOQUENT

[@Calle-zm5dl]

Degas loved like he should!

[@StereoChimps]

woww her talking about the faces was really helpfull !!

[@petreccaw7495]

Faeces ?!?

[@spencerhotchkiss5760]

Does anybody know the name of the piece that appears at 9:21? It's incredible

[@Tonylionni]

Great work I love the erotic palette of colors that remind me of de koonings. Very sensual

[@JohnSmith-bw6pv]

glad i dont know you , fucking weirdo

[@jexikavindictive]

@@JohnSmith-bw6pv you are a weirdo.

[@COLEDULE]

This woman is incredible.. i wanna buy her paintings lol

[@birhanustehay8695]

its interesting interview!

[@mard9802]

love her work

[@CAVEDATA]

Good pictures

[@cejamieson2024]

Such a brilliant artist!

[@klemhopper]

I've just been watching interviews with famous artists. It is interesting that some of the very best alive; Richter, Katz, Sasnal speak in very simple terms and consider what they are saying. Cecily Brown is a professional artist painting in a historic mode, really reprising DeKoonings which is fine for paintings sake but I find the talking overblown - she creates nice warm palettes and overlapping spaces to make very tasteful furniture paintings - the fact that her father is a famous critic and she's led a privileged life painting explains where these paintings come from

[@dansmith4984]

Huh I didn’t know she was English 😎😎. When I first saw her work I saw de Kooning, now more German expressionism and even fauvism

[@dud4064]

cecily is a genius artist

[@ja100163]

really love this interview and Cecily Brown's work, thankyou

[@cyork1288]

Seems sincere... for me the Degas painting is about the color and it's placement.

[@paulmactavish3355]

You rock *

[@kierancarey8194]

Id love her to talk about scale and why so large and does she paint any small works

[@patoises]

the painting in the background, I can't help but see picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. That was painted 100 years ago, and personally a much better painting

[@casteretpollux]

Yes, I saw that too.

[@danmpearce]

V interesting. Great paintings!

[@camaramarcelo]

Wow. loved it!

[@KpxUrz5745]

Here's the problem. She refers to attributes in a certain aspect of Degas, and shows the red painting. However, Degas was one of the truly most brilliant draftsmen to have ever lived. Just once I would like to see an artist actually skilled in drawing (and hence, in painting), but we never see that. I do not expect anyone to draw half as well as Degas since that would be preposterously impossible. But I would like to see someone capable of perhaps drawing one-tenth as good as Degas did, and always striving to build on that. I've noticed that this Louisiana Channel features a lot of artists who love to talk apparently more than to develop their own skills.

[@kingsleysaxon9710]

Quite a nice studio Cec!

[@CultureLessons]

Artists sure love to talk, but true art needs no explanation

[@nuascannan]

Yeah, but their verbosity doesn't contradict that - many artists are very chatty, it's part of a restlessness. How chatty they are doesn't somehow detract from their material! You may need to turn away from their words and just absorb their art.

[@Art_Travel_and_Hobbys]

Beautiful painterly style... 👍

[@HALLBARBARA11]

fascinating.

[@jessiesnider7704]

Good art.

[@Adam-bt4dv]

0:57 she goes into how when she was small she saw this George Grosz painting of a butcher shop with human meat in it and how she loved that image. Reminds me of spirit cooking by Marina Abramovic. There are definite connections from the art world to the underground human trafficking world. It's fucking creep zone. Cecily does great work though

[@Simple1DEA]

What are the artists she lists as inspiration? Any help Only one I can ID is DeKooning

[@Yuggothfungus]

She listed Edgar Degas, Francis Bacon and George Grosz.

[@ThePurpleLlamaGetsIt]

Fantastic interview

[@tmxxx70]

🙏😇💯

[@johncastle8254]

Go back to beginning and draw everyday endlessly

[@nuascannan]

Yes!

[@zeldalove]

xox

[@Mario-zo1uj]

Arts center.

[@cliffdariff74]

Why would you love a painting showing human meat instead of animal meat at a butcher shop??

[@raydavies5249]

Nice comparison to De Kooning.......

[@purestrangewonderful8955]

very deep artist!

[@sallydurham426]

Pure,Strange & Wonderful channel #CAt

[@valentinakovacevic6968]

[@spatt833]

She seems very nice, not a fan of her art though...On the other hand, Francis Bacon's work is amazing.

[@csrzconsorziorczrobertocod6220]

I love you.

[@ScottJBelford]

More Degas less Bacon: Figure, Color, Environment

[@igormendonca4026]

agreeable INTP with developed Fe

[@charles6762]

perfect example of today's art world . Degas comparison is ludicrous .

[@cameronkrause4712]

too many legs for the number of figures? you should recount them Cecily.

[@АлексейСухов-п6г]

ничего не понимаю, что она говорит

[@trackandfield7419]

horrific....sad to see art fall so far from beauty under these misanthopes

[@maddoxbromley6426]

Dave Grohls sister??

[@TheSanityMachine33]

LOL

[@ds74878]

So, there has to be some faint hint of a human figure or it's just a decorative abstract piece? That's ridiculous.

[@majumdardipesh]

Unless and until you live that process of creating u wont know that 😊

[@liammcooper]

I really like her art, but I disagree with basically everything she has to say. To sit and give an interview showering Degas with praise without mentioning his anti-semitism is unforgiveable.

[@ionklm]

Liam Cooper who gives a fuck bout antisemitism

[@casteretpollux]

Did he paint antisemitic paintings ?

[@jazw4649]

Foo Fighters Dave Grohl's sister????

[@trahapace150]

Artist whose work looks like shit smeared on canvas always have the most smug, self serving long winded ways of talking. They painting of the groups of women had no one told you it was a group of women would you even have known.....

[@KpxUrz5745]

Brilliant! Yes, I'm serious. I posted a comment very much like your own. I've been around the art world enough decades that I know to stop listening when artists start talking. They come across as incredibly pompous windbags, but we never see any of that big talk justified in the actual work!

[@JacksonPolyp]

Does it really make sense to speak about being a "figurative" painter in such abstract terms? You're an abstractionist. Period.

[@calc2323]

I think it's less simple than that. She perhaps works with similar processes but she's fascinated with the intermediate period between representation and abstraction.

[@epictetus9221]

That is just unnecessary and silly. Look at her work... There's a lot of really well executed figuration, it's just purposefully abstracted. Like she very clearly explains in the interview btw.

[@alejandromoralesgonz]

+JacksonPolyp yours is the typical comment made by a person who is not a painter but believe to know a lot about it. All paint is "abstractionist". In fact even the most realist paintings or even hyperrealists are abstractions of something else. See, there is a whole process of abstracting forms, light, volumes for the painter to process and conceive "figures" and images in his mind first, to be translated in the elements and the act of painting, to become the painted object in the end. +Epictetus is right on his comment

[@JadenJahci]

Jackson it is clear that you are just "Jackson" So...why do you insist on putting "Polyp" at the end of your "Barcode". Also,... more over,.. how can you be an Atheist Jew if you believe in Jesus?,...You're a Christian-ist. Period. Sincerely, Studio 54-ist

[@KANSASIOUX]

JacksonPolyp figurative abstraction...

[@barrymak8061]

What are the odds of a famous art critic having a daughter who becomes a famous painter......she is a good example of why art is corrupt and part of a club and your not a member, SELL THE ARTIST SELL THE WORK.....delusional middel class garbage that comes from a place of entitlement as are those critics / curators /collectors / galleries she engages with....history I hope and suspect will root out her work as nonsense as it has for so many of her club members

[@stevecox7075]

A much over-rated artist. She only rose to her current position because she is the illegitimate daughter of London art critic David Sylvester.

[@wilmeramador1169]

She´s supposed to be painting, not talking. Probably why it sucks so much.

[@jennyh5641]

I'm with you on this. I don't see the appeal.

[@txicocamotl]

So why did you watch an interview of someone who is supposed to be painting, not talking, in the first place?

[@katman734]

Over-rated

[@Mintzoid]

god shes cute

[@papersack4290]

She looks like a fake Steven Tyler

[@Johnconno]

5th rate De Kooning. By an Englishwoman, it's just not on.

[@fogpumas]

Sure... you’re clearly not setting the world on fire with your work either. Cheap shot from the peanut gallery, you hack

[@KpxUrz5745]

5th rate is being exceedingly generous. I mean, WILDLY generous.

[@maggiey8332]

太浪费颜料了