March is art month in the Gulf

The rest of the Middle East is in torment, but the Gulf remains an enclave of calm, where creativity, the art trade and reflection—some more, some less relevant—about what art can do for society can carry on. The ruler of Dubai has appointed a female Minister for Happiness and intends to build a great library. Barack Obama has emphasised America’s warm friendship with a region that some Westerners, who feel that it is the acceptable face of Arab culture, find reassuring. While