Louvre Abu Dhabi acquires Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi
The 500-year-old depiction of Jesus was obtained by the Department of Culture and Tourism
Louvre Abu Dhabi “is looking forward to” displaying Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci after the US$450 million artwork was acquired by the Government.
In a tweet on Friday, the newly opened museum said the masterpiece – a 500-year-old oil painting depicting Jesus – had been acquired by the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi.
Louvre Abu Dhabi announced on Wednesday that the work was coming to the capital amid speculation about the identity of the new owner after its sale at a Christie’s auction on November 15.
It went under the hammer in New York for a record-breaking $450m, including fees, four times more than its pre-sale estimate and more than double the old mark for any work of art at auction.
Sources in Riyadh said western newspaper reports that the painting had been bought by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were wrong.
Sold by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, it was the last privately owned Leonardo paintings and one of fewer than 20 by the Renaissance artist known to exist.
Once owned by King Charles I of England, it disappeared from view until 1900, when it was acquired by a British collector.
At that time it was attributed to one of Leonardo’s disciples, rather than the master himself.
The painting was sold again in 1958 for £45, then was acquired in 2005, badly damaged and partly painted over, by a consortium of art dealers who paid less than $10,000. They restored the painting and documented its authenticity as a work by Leonardo.
It was on display in Hong Kong, San Francisco and London before arriving in New York for the auction.
As the most expensive in the world, there is speculation the work will hang next to Leonardo’s La Belle Ferronniere, already one of the most popular exhibits at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
For a museum newly arrived on the world cultural scene, the painting is a game-changing acquisition.
“We are delighted to see this remarkable painting will be available for public view at the Louvre Abu Dhabi,” it tweeted.
At the auction, the painting was bought by an unidentified buyer bidding by phone after a contest of nearly 20 minutes.
Christie’s referred questions about the ownership of the painting to Louvre Abu Dhabi.
A document, dated November 12 and seen by Reuters, showed that Saudi’s Prince Badr bin Abdullah was authorised to buy the painting on behalf of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
The highest known sale price for any artwork had been $300m for Willem de Kooning’s painting Interchange, sold privately in September 2015 by the David Geffen Foundation to hedge fund manager Kenneth Griffin.
We are delighted to see this remarkable painting will be available for public view at the Louvre Abu Dhabi LOUVRE ABU DHABI