09/30/2026
“For 20 years people walked into my house, saw my paintings on the wall, and offered me money for them. I said no every single time. I’m 51. I built two pharmacies in New York, and I had been painting for over 30 years without ever selling one.
I always told people it was because each painting was a piece of me and I could not let it go. That sounded beautiful. It also was not true.
The truth is I did not think it was good enough. And if I never sold a single one, then nobody could ever tell me it was not worth anything.
Saying no was never protecting the art. It was protecting me.
I can read a balance sheet. I have hired and fired people. I am not someone who is afraid of being judged. But the second it was my art, I was 18 again.
There is still one painting in my house that is not for sale, and I do not think it ever will be.
If you are holding onto something nobody has ever seen, ask yourself honestly which one you are protecting.”
