Songfacts®:

• Rufus Wainwright decided that too many of his songs were written in the first person and wanted to write one about someone else. This one was inspired by a boastful story an ex-art teacher told Wainwright at a gym about a student who fell in love with him but married a rich man instead.
• This explores a theme of anti-materialism - in this case, money over love - which is common in Wainwright's lyrics.
• Musically, "The Art Teacher" evokes the work of the composer Philip Glass, most likely due to the Glassesque piano texture. It is noted that this is also Glass's favorite Rufus Wainwright song.
• Wainwright recorded this live in Montreal, though horns were dubbed in studio. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Davis - Montreal, Canada, for all above