Philip Johnson was unabashed in his acknowledgment of the sources of inspiration for his designs. Johnson noted his vision for Da Monsta stemmed from his close friend artist Frank Stella's design for the Dresden Kunsthalle in Germany. Today, many artists (for example David Diao's painting, The Rug, It Shrank!, 2004-5, Sarah Morris's ceiling installation Robert Towne, 2006, or Pae White's Restless Rainbow, 2011) take their inspiration from the world of design --architecture, furniture, typography and fashion-- mixing contemporary art and design in innovative, perhaps controversial, ways.

Why are contemporary artists interested in engaging in the design world?