Everyone wants to own artwork that appreciates in value, but the chances of discovering the next Basquiat are slim.

So relax and buy something you want to look at for a lifetime. “I don’t care if the artist’s market is hot,” says Dan Berger, a collector who lives in East Rogers Park. “I like being absorbed in the work, being able to lose myself in it.” With that attitude, you’re guaranteed an aesthetic and emotional payoff. And who knows? Maybe someday you’ll enjoy a financial one too. Berger owns five Kerry James Marshall paintings and bought his first 10 years ago because it spoke to him. Now Marshall’s works have exploded in value—in 2016 his painting Plunge (shown above) went for $2.2 million at Christie’s.