The worlds most expensive and controversial painting Salvator Mundi is still nowhere to be seen!
The controversial last masterpiece to have been painted by renaissance painter Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi (Latin for Saviour of the World), became the worlds most expensive painting ever sold when in 2017 is was sold at Christie's for a whopping
$450.3m (£342.1m).
Purchased by a proxy believed to be for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia the painting was set to be exhibited within the new Louvre Abu Dhabi, however two years on the painting which was to be the Middle Easts Mona Lisa does not hang upon the walls and in-fact no one seems to know where indeed it is.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi's culture department have refused to answer any questions about the painting with staff of the Louvre Abu Dhabi saying privately that they have no knowledge of the painting’s whereabouts. The Louvre in Paris, who licenses its name to the Abu Dhabi museum have also claimed they also have been able to locate “Salvator Mundi,” and have made repeated request for the painting to be made available for an exhibition of the painters work to be held in October celebrating 500 years since his death.
Rumors within the art world suggest that the Saudi Crown Prince Salman swapped the artwork for a yacht owned by UAE’s prince Zayed, called “Topaz” that was originally owned by Mansour Bin Zayed if this is true it would suggest why the Louvre Abu Dhabi can no longer display it, however, there may be a simpler explanation that in-fact the Saudi Crown Prince Salman does not want to share this masterpiece with the world but wants it all for himself.
Whatever the reason this on-going mystery will in-deed ensure it retains a status of intrigue worthy of millions.
