Is contempory art important or meaningful in your life?

Yes, I like some contemporary art. I love public sculpture.

Oh, definitely. I don’t like all contemporary art (I mean, it’s a massive and eclectic genre), but I do enjoy a lot of it. I’m particularly fond of street art, and love seeing murals or sculptures when I walk around a city. I love seeing the inhabitants of the city expressing themselves in a visual way. Self-expression is incredibly important, and when it can be done in a way that makes a city more dynamic and beautiful, I think that’s a wonderful thing.

No. I just can’t figure out how to get anything out of it. Maybe that’s because I’ve never taken an Art Appreciation course, but I just don’t get it. I agree with @fireinthepriory, though, about self-expression. It is important. But contemporary art isn’t the only way to express yourself.

It definitely has an effect on my life. It makes me stop for some time and just think about what the work means to me and what it could have meant to the artist. Being an artist myself, its also incredibly inspiring! I can be pretty timid with my work, so seeing how some artists can just create something so intense helps motivate me. I think it can also be theraputic. When people view certain works, it takes their mind off of other things for awhile and makes them use their imagination.

It was essentially the center of my life from 1967, when I first went to work for Walter Hopps at Pasadena, through my work with W. S. Lieberman at MOMA in New York, and almost 25 years of being an art dealer and an auctioneer.

Of course. Art is the style and spice in an otherwise logical, mathematical world. 21st century art is an inspiration for my own work. It is interesting to see how my efforts compare to others.

It is also fascinating to see why some pieces inspire intense emotion while others remain boring 2D images on canvas.

Yes and no. Paintings in galleries don’t have much of an effect on my everyday life, but there are many other types of art that we interact with all the time. Things like industrial design, modern architecture, video games, city planning, movies, music videos, and advertising can all rise to the level of art. I think things like this are becoming increasingly relevant in our culture, compared to fine art.

Yes, I am greatly affected by contemporary art. I also love certain other genres of art. It is one of the few ways that having a BFA has done me any good.

As @Haleth says, even if you are the type of person who never goes into an art gallery or who only likes art that “looks like something” you are affected by contemporary art. Everything we wear, sit in, live in, and purchase is designed by someone to reflect the contemporary design aesthetic, otherwise known as contemporary art.

I appreciate it but it hardly plays a significant or direct role in my life. I go to museums, listen to my dad tell me things (he was an artist), and subscribe to Art in America. That’s about the extent of my interaction with contemporary art, for better or worse.

Do you believe that what galleries show and sell in NYC or any major venue have any effect on our living culture?

Yes, of course; that’s part of our living culture. Admittedly there is a highbrow or elitist aura surrounding that stuff, and maybe it is less accessible than other art forms – literature, music – but I’d like to think there are a lot of new ideas that trickle down from contemporary art and find their ways into the mainstream, where the rest of us can enjoy them without knowing where they came from.

It’s not like it’s going to save the world or anything, but it does bring some light and intellectual provocation into our lives. I’m glad artists are out there working at what they do.

In Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs it is not basic, but it is essential for a growing thriving society.