Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, widely regarded as a rising star in the art world, has jumped in the rankings of this year’s ArtReview Power 100 list from 90th to 11th place.

The London-based publication, which has charted the influence of curators, collectors, artists and museum directors for the past decade, cites Qatar’s purchase of Card Players, for the meteoric rise:

There are few individuals on the Power 100 list who manage to leap almost 70 places in the space of just one year, but then it’s not every year that your family reveals that it has paid the highest price ever for an artwork.

Sheikha Mayassa, who also debuted on Forbes list of most powerful women this year, also holds a lot of clout as chair of the Qatar Museums Authority, ArtReview says, “driving a policy of aggressive expansion that has made the authority a ferocious buyer on the international market, as well as a major sponsor of big international exhibitions.”

Qatar’s no longer the only Gulf country to be represented on the list. This year, the UAE’s Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, the president of Sharjah Art Foundation, entered the rankings at 84th place.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Ammar Abd Rabbo