Michael Ovitz

And Bill Murray that week, this is hysterical, a guy, a different agent, got Bill Murray to have a meeting with him. And they were supposed to meet at the Mark Hotel, but Bill was late and he said, come up to my apartment. Bill didn't know what the meeting was about. He didn't even know the guy was an agent. Bill, to this day, is one of my close friends.

He's one of the smartest, most gifted human beings on the planet. He is a gift to all of us because he's all about making people feel good, unless he thinks you're a joke. He is meeting with this guy in his own apartment, and the guy starts pitching him why he should leave me. And Bill's shaking his head and said, could you excuse me for a minute? And I've got to go to the bathroom.

He's one of the smartest, most gifted human beings on the planet. He is a gift to all of us because he's all about making people feel good, unless he thinks you're a joke. He is meeting with this guy in his own apartment, and the guy starts pitching him why he should leave me. And Bill's shaking his head and said, could you excuse me for a minute? And I've got to go to the bathroom.

And the guy said, yeah, sure. So Bill leaves the room and this guy's sitting there and five minutes go by and 10 minutes go by and 15 minutes go by and 30 minutes go by. And he goes looking for Bill. Bill walked out the fire escape and left him in his apartment.

And the guy said, yeah, sure. So Bill leaves the room and this guy's sitting there and five minutes go by and 10 minutes go by and 15 minutes go by and 30 minutes go by. And he goes looking for Bill. Bill walked out the fire escape and left him in his apartment.

Yeah, true.

Yeah, true.

Look, I'm a zealot and a passionate human being about everything I do. When I started collecting art, I started collecting prints. Now I have a very deep and strong art collection, not an accident. I've worked really hard at it because I enjoy it. So it's fun. It's rewarding. I envy what these

Look, I'm a zealot and a passionate human being about everything I do. When I started collecting art, I started collecting prints. Now I have a very deep and strong art collection, not an accident. I've worked really hard at it because I enjoy it. So it's fun. It's rewarding. I envy what these

Tamara and I will sit around sometimes at night after dinner and look at the art on our walls and say, how did they do it? Why did they do it? Why did they use that color? What drove them? It's so interesting. I don't know how anyone could not think that. It's just so interesting. Take yourself to that moment.

Tamara and I will sit around sometimes at night after dinner and look at the art on our walls and say, how did they do it? Why did they do it? Why did they use that color? What drove them? It's so interesting. I don't know how anyone could not think that. It's just so interesting. Take yourself to that moment.

You know, what was Picasso thinking when he decided to deconstruct a figure and make it a cubist look where it's like a puzzle pre-computer 100 years ago?

You know, what was Picasso thinking when he decided to deconstruct a figure and make it a cubist look where it's like a puzzle pre-computer 100 years ago?

The African mass. That's what influenced me to go to MoMA. One of our directors, Bill Rubin, did a show I saw probably 25 times. He came up with the thesis that Picasso... And all of those artists were influenced, Gauguin, Roch, all of them by Modigliani, by African statuary from the mid-1800s.

The African mass. That's what influenced me to go to MoMA. One of our directors, Bill Rubin, did a show I saw probably 25 times. He came up with the thesis that Picasso... And all of those artists were influenced, Gauguin, Roch, all of them by Modigliani, by African statuary from the mid-1800s.

Because in the 1850 to 1900, the Nigerians threw the Catholic missionaries out, so they went back to Paris and Brussels, where the greatest primitive art museums are. And they brought all these relinquary figures with them. And in the early 1900s, they ran out of money and they put those masks in those left bank. Oh, wow. Shopping, you know, on the weekends. Yeah, yeah.

Because in the 1850 to 1900, the Nigerians threw the Catholic missionaries out, so they went back to Paris and Brussels, where the greatest primitive art museums are. And they brought all these relinquary figures with them. And in the early 1900s, they ran out of money and they put those masks in those left bank. Oh, wow. Shopping, you know, on the weekends. Yeah, yeah.

And Picasso bought 50 of them. Probably spent two, three francs for each one. There's a picture of his studio in Moujon in black and white that has 50 masks on the wall. And you look at these masks and you look at the faces and you go, good God, it's right here. And Rubin proved that with these two volumes that are amazing. I saw that show so many times.

And Picasso bought 50 of them. Probably spent two, three francs for each one. There's a picture of his studio in Moujon in black and white that has 50 masks on the wall. And you look at these masks and you look at the faces and you go, good God, it's right here. And Rubin proved that with these two volumes that are amazing. I saw that show so many times.

I started collecting African art the same day. And then I started looking at Picasso very seriously before anyone. This is before Picasso took off. As a matter of fact, there was a period in New York in the early 70s where the New York Times had written a vile review of the late Picasso show at the Guggenheim, and all the dealers had stocked up on it because he had painted 10,000 pictures.