The United Arab Emirates have been on the up-and-up, as recently evidenced by their upscale mega-malls, luxury residential towers, and Qatar’s most recent accolade as the world’s biggest buyer of contemporary art. The emirate may be tiny, but their buying power is big after the royal family went on a massive art shopping spree to enhance the emirate’s cultural portfolio in anticipation of the 2022 World Cup. According the UK’s Guardian, Qatar has been responsible for the majority of contemporary and modern art purchases from the past six years, including works by artists like Andy Warhol and Mark Rothko.  [...read more]