But the same American cultural superiority that clutches at pearls when it encounters Dutch revelers in blackface appears unconcerned by the stereotypical portrayal of dwarves as elves.

FORBES: The Unbearable Whiteness of Piet-ing: Dutch Santa's Blackface Elves

Art fairs and similar events aimed at bringing wealthy tourists and international recognition (and to toss blows in a new, intra-Arab competition for cultural superiority as countries stage ever-bigger and ever-splashier projects) mean that artists have begun to matter.

FORBES: Artists Form the Instruments of War Across the Middle East