Collectors Guide 2008

Features

Art That Beats The S&P

By Jianping Mei and Michael Moses

Which artist brings the best return?

Why African-American Art Is So Hot

By Susan Adams

Works by these artists are controversial and sizzling. Robert Johnson explains why.

• In Pictures: Where To See African-American Art

Inside The Search For Dorothy's Slippers

By Monte Burke

After the prized shoes were stolen, Michael Shaw began a three-year mission to rescue them. Plus: Behind The Scenes With An Obsessive Collector: One man's search for the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West

World's Oddest Collections

By David Sutton

Depending on your fancy, there's serious money in amassing what you love.

How To Spot A Fake

By Stephane Fitch

New technologies may help you identify a forged work of art--even those good enough to fool the experts.

Distressed Goods

By Alan Farnham

Why buy art that's punctured, burned or drenched? It's cheap. In the eyes of some