Qatar's royal family is set on making Doha into an international art hub, hitting the headlines with news of the  world's biggest art buying spree that includes a world record $250m paid for Cezanne's The Card Players, and exhibitions by renowned artists like Louise Bourgeois, Takashi Murakami and Cai Guo Qiang. However, The Art Newspaper says a leading human rights organisation has warned British Museums collaborating with the Qatar Museums Authority on a cultural exchange programme to exercise “extreme caution” in their dealings with Qatar. The remarks come in response to the plight of Muhammad al-Ajami, a Qatari poet currently serving a 15-year sentence for reciting a poem in support of the Arab uprisings. He has also called for Arabs to rid themselves of “imposed regimes” comments which Qatari prosecutors claimed amounted to an incitement to overthrow the Emir. Read more…
Image: Anti-government protesters in Sanabis, Bahrain