I always hated middlemen but as I got older and saw the difference between creators and capitalists. You don't see the 50% being spent to maintain the relationships that bring buyers in and interested in supporting the artist. Arts subjective, you can play the free game and use the internet but if you want a network of people that support galleries it's because they gained something from that gallery at some point. Also that gallery isn't free, some are cheap and some don't earn their keep but you get free choice and no known test to differentiate the honest from the dishonest but experience.