“There is also a third kind of madness, which is possession by the Muses, enters into a delicate and virgin soul, and there inspiring frenzy, awakens lyrical.... But he, who, not being inspired and having no touch of madness in his soul, comes to the door and thinks he will get into the temple by the help of art--he, I say, and his poetry are not admitted; the sane man is nowhere at all when he enters into rivalry with the madman.”

Excerpt from Phaedrus by Plato The notion of the muse, originating in ancient Greece, stems from the mythological group of sister goddesses said to inspire literature, science and the arts – they were fittingly known as, The Muses. The muse has persisted through centuries, arousing some of the finest artistic and literary works. The same concept still holds true in a contemporary setting as we now define the muse, in the simplest of understandings, to be a source of inspiration (generally in relation to the arts). The Modern Muse explores how the traditional notion of the muse is invoked by a diverse and eclectic group of contemporary artists and the ways their inspiration manifests itself in their work.

Regardless of what it is about the muse that inspires, it is clear they play a fundamental role in the creation of art; almost as necessary as the paint on a brush. The muse, the artist’s obsession, is disassembled and studied, exposed and presented, admired and revered – inspiring madness in us.