Help, please. My wife says that my taste in art is too passé, and that hanging works from artists who are dead is just not cool or interesting. I am looking to spend around $1.5m for 3-5 works, but refuse to buy works at any Madison Ave. Gallery. Which artists would you suggest looking at and why? BTW, I love video art, but displaying it is a bitch, and photography scares me re: its appreciation potential due to multiples. Justifying valuations, I find challenging, even with artnet… I’m always skeptical that auction pricing is manipulated by collectors and dealers. So, please, let’s focus, if possible, on painting and/or sculpture.Thanks for the help!

Wow… that’s a tall order- you are saying you want a different art world than the one you’re in. Fear not! There are plenty of galleries who specialize in artists with little or no auction traction, and little or no secondary market. Take David Zwirner’s roster, or Brent Sikkema’s, or you can try the programs of Gavin Brown and Michelle Maccarone. Focus more on the art and less on the personalities is my advice- you have the money, so you are in the driver’s seat, no one else, and there’s plenty in your price range. I’d try Rob Pruitt, Piotr Ulklanski and Urs Fischer-buy with your eyes and your nose, and forget about your ears, there’s too much noise out there.