The largest art buyer in the world is the family of the Qatari emir

Jean Nouvel: National Museum in Doha

Doha - The Arab emirate of Qatar is one of the smallest states in the Middle East, but in the world of art dealers, it has long been among the most generous buyers of artworks, with dozens of treasures added to its museums in recent years. The family of the Qatari emir even recently broke the records for the most expensive paintings sold when they purchased Paul Cézanne's The Card Players from a private owner for, according to unconfirmed reports, over 250 million dollars (about 4.7 billion crowns). Experts therefore compare the Qatari ruling dynasty to the famous Renaissance patrons, the Medici family.
      According to the specialized publication The Art Newspaper, last year Qatar was the largest buyer of artworks, assessed by the total amount paid. Significantly contributing to this was likely a record deal, about which no official information is available to this day. The emirate acquired the famous painting by Paul Cézanne last year from a certain Greek magnate. The transaction, which took place privately, outside the major auction system, caused quite a stir among experts. The price paid by Qatar nearly doubled the value of the previously most expensive painting, a canvas by Jackson Pollock, which changed hands for 140 million dollars (about 2.6 billion crowns) in 2006.
      Speculation about the deal had been floating since last year, but it was only a few weeks ago that journalists verified the report from several sources. For example, the American magazine Vanity Fair stated that Qatar outbid even two dealers who are among the most famous in the world of visual art - Larry Gagosian and William Acquavella. The final price could have been as high as 300 million dollars.
      "Qatar is clearly on a mission to build a truly phenomenal art collection and is aware that for beautiful pieces, it must spend enormous sums from its pockets, like 250 million for Cézanne," said Philip Hoffman, director of the London-based Fine Art Fund Group, which focuses on art purchases, to The New York Times. "Such purchases will become a kind of benchmark for the valuation of rare artworks," he added.
      Cézanne created a series of paintings titled The Card Players in the 1890s. There are a total of five paintings, four of which are owned by the most prestigious galleries in the world - for example, they can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum in New York or the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The Qatari piece of the series will likely be displayed in the future at the newly constructed National Museum in Doha, with its grand reconstruction planned by the star French architect Jean Nouvel expected to be completed in 2014.
      As for the density of significant artworks per capita, Qatar likely holds a clear world record. Although the emirate, which is seven times smaller than the Czech Republic, has just under two million inhabitants, several important exhibitions take place here every year - currently, art lovers can visit exhibitions of works by Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami or French sculptor Louise Bourgeois. Additionally, works by Mark Rothko, Damien Hirst, Jackson Pollock, and Pablo Picasso have been added to the permanent collections of galleries in recent years. The buying frenzy is also expected to continue - last year the Qatari monarch enlisted Edward J. Dolman, who previously worked for many years in the management of the auction house Christie's.