Stephen Bayley

British design consultant, writer, exhibition organiser and museum administrator.

Do we understand art any better if we can name (and on some necessary occasions shame) it's human source? Does forensic identity matter? Maybe, maybe not. What's certain is that great poetry and painting, occasionally great novels, are frequently inspired by the creator's often tormented relationship with a powerful woman. Never mind what's behind every successful man. In front of every great artist is a seductive muse.