ABOVE: Sheikh Saud Al-Thani relaxes at home with a copy of the Audobon Birds of America, purchased for $8 million in 2000.

Sheikh Saud Al-Thani, who in the last few years was on the art-shopping spree of all time, has been arrested in Doha on allegations of misused public funds. Sheikh Saud was until February the Chairman of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage in Qatar, the tiny, obscenely wealthy middle eastern nation which has been converting its plentiful oil money into one hell of an art collection. As Chairman, the Sheikh was responsible for keeping the country’s growing museums—there are five (five!) under construction right now—well-stocked with priceless objets from around the world.

Well, “priceless” wouldn’t exactly be the right word; while no one doubts the Sheikh’s impeccable taste, his talent as an acquirer, it seems, left something to be desired: namely, thrift. The Art Newspaper reports that he was in the habit of acquiring pieces at, oh, up to 113 times their appraised value, such as the gem-encrusted fly-swatter valued in the catalogue at £5,000 - £8,000, which he eventually bagged at a cost of more than £900,000.

So—and we’re just sayin’, is all—the Sheikh obviously isn’t so hot at the bargain shopping. But even in diamond-studded Qatar, throwing around that kind of dough draws attention, and so Sheikh Saud Al-Thani is under house arrest, hopefully swatting flies.

The article alludes to more of the Sheikh’s adventures in tomb-raiding and the possiblity of royal intrigue. Sounds like a John Le Carré novel waiting to be written.

The Art Newspaper — World’s Biggest Art Collector Arrested in Qatar