This sharp, practical look at the contemporary art market declares its irreverence early with a full-page, large print citation of Jenny Holzer's truism, "Money creates taste." Louisa Buck and Judith Greer's analyses of buyers' interests and responsibilities (including a section on how artists see the market and how collectors should treat them) make Owning Art a guidebook of interest to armchair travelers as well as its ostensible target market--it's not just collectors who seek to understand more about dealers, auction houses, art fairs, selection, pricing and conservation. The authors are equally comfortable going over the pitfalls of caring for contemporary media (they quote Agnes Gund on rescuing Christo's "Nine Packed Bottles" from a well-intentioned trip to the recycling bin), and tackling more serious questions like, who makes a good collector? What should you be looking for? Who gets offered the best work? What role do institutions play in the market?

露薏莎．巴克（Louisa Buck）

當代藝術專欄作家，為《Art Newspaper》寫評論，並會在電視或是《BBC radio》談論藝術。著作如下：MOVING TARGETS 2：A User’s Guide to British Art Now (Tate，2002)。MARKET MATTERS：The Dynamics of the Contemporary Art Market (Arts Council England，2004)。

茱蒂絲．葛瑞兒（Judith Greer）

藝術收藏家。曾經任職於東京的原美術館(The Hara Museum of Contemporary Art)。她和丈夫理查收藏藝術長達二十多年，現今許多炙手可熱的當代藝術家都是他們的朋友。