Number 19 in our countdown of '70 Ways Art Improves Our Health' comes straight from some of the world’s greatest artists…

Hearing the experiences and thoughts of other artists can encourage, motivate, uplift, and inspire creativity in ourselves. There are hundreds of quotes from world-renowned artists about the importance of art in their lives. In this final collection, we’ve gathered just a few more.

1. Paula Rego

“Art is the only place you can do what you like. That’s freedom.”

Portugese-born British artist Paula Rego is one of the leading figurative artists of her generation. Last year, in a BBC film about her life and work, Paula confessed to having suffered from depression all her life. She says she made self-portraits to survive: “If you put frightening things into a picture then they can’t harm you. In fact, you end becoming quite fond of them.” We’re very lucky to have a work by her in the Paintings in Hospitals collection.

2. Edward Hopper

“If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.”

Edward Hopper was one of America's greatest modern painters. His lasting popularity is likely due to his ability to paint everyday scenes in a way that addresses universal anxieties.

3. Louise Bourgeois

“Art is not about art. Art is about life, and that sums it up.”

Louise Bourgeois has featured in our lists before. Most famous for her giant spider sculptures, Louise made art because, for her, it preserved her sanity with its ‘curative effect’.

4. Wolf Khan

“I want the people looking at my work to feel a sense of all the possibilities of painting, and, through that, in life as a whole.”

Wolf Kahn is a German-born American painter. His works usually covers the subject of landscapes and his own personal vision of nature.

5. Elizabeth Broun

“Art is not always about pretty things. It's about who we are, what happened to us, and how our lives are affected.”

Elizabeth Broun wasn’t known for being an artist. She was the director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. for 27 years until 2016. She was the longest-serving female museum director in Smithsonian history.

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