I.M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art

by kelly crow
Doha, Qatar

The art world will descend on the tiny Gulf country of Qatar to see the museum that oil and gas built.

Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, has given only a few people a peek into his country's first major art institution, the I.M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art. Now, with the financial crisis and falling art sales dampening the global mood, the $300 million-plus museum's Nov. 22 opening party is turning into a major event of the art season. Some 1,000 major collectors and museum directors, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Philippe de Montebello, are flying in for the occasion. Many are also getting booked into the city's fleet of new hotels for free.

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