Attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi became the world’s most expensive painting when it sold at Christie’s for a staggering $450 million. Since the record-setting auction in 2017, the painting’s whereabouts have been unknown. Recent reports, however, have finally shed some light on the controversial painting’s current location and future exhibition plans.
Where Is Salvator Mundi?
Nicknamed “the Lost Leonardo,” Salvator Mundi is attributed to the iconic Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci and dates back to about 1500. The painting depicts Jesus Christ in Renaissance-style clothing, raising his right hand in a blessing gesture and holding a crystal orb in his left hand. After its rediscovery and restoration in the early 2010s, Salvator Mundi was auctioned at Christie’s in 2017. After eighteen minutes of bidding, the painting reached $450 million. A mystery buyer acting on behalf of Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, turned out to be the highest bidder. Salvator Mundi now belongs to the Saudi Royal Family, and its exact whereabouts have been unknown since the 2017 auction.
Talks to exhibit the painting at the Louvre Abu Dhabi or hang it alongside the Mona Lisa in Paris never materialized after the Christie’s auction. Instead, Salvator Mundi was rumored to be aboard bin Salman’s private superyacht. However, Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University and a friend of the crown prince, recently told the BBC that Salvator Mundi is actually at a storage facility in Geneva, Switzerland.
A Mona Lisa for Saudi Arabia?
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Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterThe BBC also revealed that Mohammed bin Salman is making plans to publicly exhibit Salvator Mundi. According to the BBC report, bin Salman aims to display the painting in a future art museum in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. There, the “Lost Leonardo” would fulfill a cultural role similar to that of the Mona Lisa in France, anchoring the collection and attracting visitors.
The purchase of the painting and plans for an art museum are understood to be part of a larger effort to modernize Saudi Arabia. The BBC report asserts that “[bin Salman’s] purchase of a famous painting in 2017 tells us much about how he thinks, and his willingness to be a risk-taker, unafraid to be out of step with the religiously conservative society that he governs. And above all, determined to outplay the West in conspicuous displays of power.”
Is the “Lost Leonardo” Truly Authentic?
In 2011 and 2012, the National Gallery in London included Salvator Mundi in an exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci’s work. Before its restoration and reattribution, the painting was considered to be the work of a Leonardo follower. When Christie’s auctioned the painting in 2017, the auction house stated that most leading scholars now consider Salvator Mundi to be an original work by Leonardo. “Salvator Mundi is a painting of the most iconic figure in the world by the most important artist of all time,” said Loic Gouzer, co-chairman of postwar and contemporary art at Christie’s, before the historic auction.
Despite the painting’s record-shattering auction price, the attribution of Salvator Mundi to Leonardo da Vinci remains a subject of debate. Some experts maintain the belief that the painting was created entirely, or at least in large part, by the artist’s studio apprentices. Others argue that the painting’s style does not match Leonardo’s known works. Additionally, the painting has undergone many restorations and suffered damage over the centuries, raising further questions about its authenticity.
