Interesting subject from a Forum:

famous artists usually have some things in common:

1. they belonged to some sort of group.
2. they were making strong personal statements that happened to resonate with a lot of people (they adapted their inclinations to what was "in the air" at the time)
3. they were in the right place at the right time (and often were not afraid to move to the right place)
4. they were able to find a mentor of some kind
5. their work pushed the envelope of the public's concept of art and often the establishment's (art can't go backwards)
6. their art usually reflected an influence from art of other cultures than their own
7. they usually do a LOT of work and often in a short period of time (creative fluency)
8. once they found their style, their work often follows a surprisingly narrow range of interpretation along that style