In the past, art was obsessed with aesthetic beauty. Today, concept art has rewritten the rules. It is crafted for grandiose meaning and provocative commentary. But often, we find the meaning cryptic or nonexistent. So we leave – still searching for the artistic meaning locked within. Until now.

With first meetings come first impressions. But when do we “meet” someone? Is it after hello or a laugh? Neither. We’ve met before. Yet we don’t remember. Unfortunately, there’s a problem with how we meet Black America. Here, we explore the style of four artists looking to solve it.

There’s fine and retail art. One paves the way for art’s future. The other makes it accessible. We think we know the difference. We think Wayfair is retail and galleries are fine. What about art fairs? We think retail is simple and fine is unique. What if it’s both? In reality, there’s a thin line between the two.

America’s Jeff Koons is arguably the most commercially successful artist alive, with his five biggest sales totaling $245M. He’s known for mirror-polished balloon dogs, mundane objects, and nude posters of him with his porn star ex-wife. Here we explore the biggest sales of his career and his signature style.

When a piece calls you, you know it. In 2016, while venturing through a labyrinth of 2,000+ pieces, one called me. Today, Impulses by Dennis Dodson towers over the rest of my collection. It’s intense yet subtle, lifeless yet lifelike, and above all else timeless.

Art is a walking contradiction. On one side it says, “Art is subjective, and there are no rules.” The other says, “Art should be judged, and certain pieces are great.” The contradiction makes appreciating art confusing and often intimidating. Is art appreciation up to our own interpretation, or is there a rubric for greatness? The answer is both.

Abstract art has dominated the last 100 years of art. Yet, it is the simplest and most confusing art form. Some of it looks remarkable, but ironically it all looks about the same. Is there more to this global phenomenon?

Maurizio Cattelan taped a banana to a wall, sold it for $120K, and broke the internet. CNN talked about it. Instagram memed it. Popeyes imitated it. And we all laughed at it. Is this a joke? Yes and no.