Saudi Prince Allegedly Spent $ 450 Million On A Fake Leonardo Da Vinci Painting
Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman bought "Salvator Mundi", the famous painting that was allegedly painted by Leonardo da Vinci, at a Christie's auction held in 2017. But many experts dispute its authenticity.
At that moment, over 1,200 art collectors from around the world participated in the auction organized by the famous house. The event was watched live on the Internet by 120,000 curious people. The star of the auction was the famous painting "Salvator Mundi" - Leonardo da Vinci's Savior of the World, which Christie's said was be the greatest cultural discovery in 100 years.
The painting was bought by no other than the wealthy Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who paid 450 million dollars to own the famous work of art made by the brilliant Leonardo da Vinci.
Not long after this, however, the first questions marks appeared.
In September 2018, the painting was to be exhibited at the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi. But, quite unexpectedly, the grand event was canceled.
"Salvator Mundi" - painted or not by Leonardo da Vinci?
Three experts from the Louvre Museum in Paris came to the conclusion that "Salvator Mundi" was painted in Leonardo da Vinci's studio, but not by the great Renaissance painter, "Ziare" reported.
Also, in the book "The Last Leonardo", art critic Ben Lewis claims that the famous painting is not a Da Vinci original work. At most, the artist added a few final touches.
Carmen Bambach, a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, believes that the "Salvator Mundi" was painted by one of Da Vinci's assistants, Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, and was only retouched by the master.
The film "The Savior for Sale", released in April this year which presents the story of the painting, reaches a similar conclusion: it is not the creation of Leonardo Da Vinci.
In any case, opinions are divided, and the truth behind this picture will remain an eternal mystery.
The Saudi Prince refused to borrow the painting from the Louvre
What is certain is that the Saudi prince refused to borrow "Salvator Mundi" to the Louvre in Paris for the 2019 exhibition dedicated to Leonardo.
The prince wanted the museum to place his painting next to the "Mona Lisa" and present it as an original Da Vinci work of art to relieve him of the humiliation of giving $ 450 million for a fake. Which didn't happen.
At this point, the painting is allegedly on the $ 500 million "Serene" yacht owned by the Saudi prince. So buying the Newcastle English football club for $ 409 million doesn't even seem like an extravagance.
At that moment, over 1,200 art collectors from around the world participated in the auction organized by the famous house. The event was watched live on the Internet by 120,000 curious people. The star of the auction was the famous painting "Salvator Mundi" - Leonardo da Vinci's Savior of the World, which Christie's said was be the greatest cultural discovery in 100 years.
The painting was bought by no other than the wealthy Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who paid 450 million dollars to own the famous work of art made by the brilliant Leonardo da Vinci.
Not long after this, however, the first questions marks appeared.
In September 2018, the painting was to be exhibited at the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi. But, quite unexpectedly, the grand event was canceled.
"Salvator Mundi" - painted or not by Leonardo da Vinci?
Three experts from the Louvre Museum in Paris came to the conclusion that "Salvator Mundi" was painted in Leonardo da Vinci's studio, but not by the great Renaissance painter, "Ziare" reported.
Also, in the book "The Last Leonardo", art critic Ben Lewis claims that the famous painting is not a Da Vinci original work. At most, the artist added a few final touches.
Carmen Bambach, a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, believes that the "Salvator Mundi" was painted by one of Da Vinci's assistants, Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, and was only retouched by the master.
The film "The Savior for Sale", released in April this year which presents the story of the painting, reaches a similar conclusion: it is not the creation of Leonardo Da Vinci.
In any case, opinions are divided, and the truth behind this picture will remain an eternal mystery.
The Saudi Prince refused to borrow the painting from the Louvre
What is certain is that the Saudi prince refused to borrow "Salvator Mundi" to the Louvre in Paris for the 2019 exhibition dedicated to Leonardo.
The prince wanted the museum to place his painting next to the "Mona Lisa" and present it as an original Da Vinci work of art to relieve him of the humiliation of giving $ 450 million for a fake. Which didn't happen.
At this point, the painting is allegedly on the $ 500 million "Serene" yacht owned by the Saudi prince. So buying the Newcastle English football club for $ 409 million doesn't even seem like an extravagance.
