Artful Appreciation

The Friday File: In March, a Gauguin sold for $300 million, the highest price ever paid for a work of art. Soon after, a Gerhard Richter painting sold for $45 million, the most ever for a living European artist. In 2014, art sales totaled a record $77 billion, surpassing the previous peak of $73 billion set in 2007. Therefore data suggests avoiding Old Masters and focusing on contemporary art.