The Colonel and I

are going on a road trip. I can’t wait. By the time you read this I’ll have started my journey to Saudi Arabia (followed by a few days in Doha where I’ll be giving a talk). The point of the trip is to write about Lieutenant-Colonel Abdulnasser Gharem, a man who is, as well as being a senior military officer, Saudi Arabia’s leading contemporary artist.

Following a recent Christie’s sale he also became the most expensive living Arab artist. One of his works broke the record for the most paid at auction for an Arab artist (who is not dead).

So Gharem is a soldier and an artist. A quick question: apart from Rubens (diplomat + artist), Vermeer (wine merchant + artist), Vasari (biographer + artist), Kandinsky? (lawyer + artist?) can you think of other artists who have combined two careers?