Answers, please

Did you know that you have to pay to find out how much art is worth? It is a life ambition of mine to own an Alex Katz painting, so I thought I'd take my first step toward that goal this afternoon: Find out how much one costs. Turns out you have to pay $13.50 for a 24-hour subscription to a website that lists auction house prices! Step one was supposed to be free.

After enough Googling—need I remind you that I still have a lot of free time on hands—I found a more economical solution. A gallery in Paris is selling a wall-size portrait of Katz's most loyal and beatific subject, his wife Ada. "Contact gallery for price," their website said.

"I am interested in adding one of Alex Katz's Adas to my art collection," I e-mailed. "I would like to inquire as to the cost of this portrait." I did not add that this collection presently includes a lino-cut Sufjan Stevens poster, an etching on Black Magic paper by a fourth grader I used to mentor, and framed postcards from the Museum of Fine Art.

Keep on the sunny side