Moriah Alise (photo by Troy Monte) and a detail of 'Watch from Afar' by Demetrius Wilson

FOR THOSE OF us on the outside, the art world can appear to be an unregulated mess, full of greedy players, dubious dealers, and criminal collectors ready to spend millions on a masterpiece only to lock it up and hide it from the world in a climate-controlled cage. While all of that is more or less true, at some point, a budding artist will need to figure out how to navigate the business of making art while maintaining a practice and creating work to share with the world. Meanwhile, first-time collectors with the best of intentions often need straightforward, honest advice when purchasing a work of art.

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Art + Entertainment

'The Montefiore Mainz Mahzor,' c. 1310– 20, German in origin; and late 18th- to early 19th-century Torah crown, Polish in origin

IN 2018, THE Museum of Fine Arts, Houston acquired a rare and unusual object — an illuminated medieval manuscript, or mahzor, consisting of 299 leaves of prayers to be recited in synagogue on Jewish holidays. At that time, the museum had more than 60,000 Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and Confucian objects in the collection, but only two objects that reflected Jewish culture. “And so, the big question was, ‘Why don’t we have more?’” says MFAH director Gary Tinterow.

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