Louvre Abu Dhabi postpones display of world’s most expensive painting

The unveiling of Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, the world’s most expensive painting, at the Louvre Abu Dhabi has been indefinitely postponed for undisclosed reasons. The city’s department of culture and tourism announced the delay on Twitter, saying “more details will be announced soon”, but declined to answer any questions. The Renaissance oil painting of Christ, whose title in Latin means “saviour of the world,” sold for a recordbreaking 450 million US dollars at auction at Christie’s New York last November. The painting depicts a bluerobed Jesus holding a crystal orb and gazing directly at the viewer. It was scheduled to go on display from 18 September, but mystery has swirled around the museum’s acquisition of the painting. Western diplomats say a Saudi royal acting as a proxy for Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is close to Abu Dhabi’s powerful crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was the buyer. The Saudi embassy in Washington and officials in Abu Dhabi say the unnamed Saudi royal purchased the painting on behalf of the museum in Abu Dhabi, which opened just days before the auction. The display of the painting would be a major draw for the new museum, which has sought to distinguish itself from its namesake in Paris since opening after a decade of delays. Abu Dhabi has agreed to pay France $525 million US dollars for the use of the “Louvre” name for the next 30 years and six months, plus another $750 million US dollars to hire French managers to oversee 300 loaned works of art. Authorities have not said how much it cost to build the museum, located on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island.

(The Guardian)