A contemporary art expert demystifies the process of finding, appreciating, and collecting contemporary art on any budget.

Contemporary art is often misunderstood as intentionally controversial, obnoxiously self-indulgent, or painfully obscure. In this book, contemporary art expert and gallery owner Paige West guides readers toward the understanding that contemporary art can be just as original, tasteful, and breathtaking as traditional paintings. West draws from her experience as a professional art dealer to break all these misconceptions and allow readers to begin developing and enjoying a private collection.

Beautiful full-colour illustrations and smart layout accompany the humor with which this book explores the current art scene. Dealing with everything from the outrage surrounding Chris Ofili's Sensation, to Salvador Dali's rampage through a department store, this book will appeal to the artistically minded individual as well as the potential art buyer.

Beginning with what constitutes original art, the book moves on to discuss how to start collecting, where to find modern art, and what are reasonable prices. With gorgeous photographs of representative pieces used as examples, the book is as much a fashionable tool for home decorating as it is an open door into the world of contemporary art. This book educates readers to take those gilded-frame, poster-size wedding photos off their living room walls, or those college poster art sale finds, and put up interesting pieces from limited editions by current artists - without breaking the bank.

Paige West studied the business of art at Christie's Education and NYU Arts Administration programs. She has since promoted and supported artists by curating a major private collection comprised of more than three thousand works by emerging and contemporary artists. In 1999 she started Mixed Greens, a company that sells original contemporary art both online and in its New York gallery. She lives in New York City.