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Saudi prince named as mystery buyer of $450m Leonardo da Vinci painting Saudi crown prince 'is real buyer' of painting by Leonardo da Vinci
(about 17 hours later)
The mystery buyer of the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in private hands has been identified as a little-known Saudi prince, on the same day the Louvre Abu Dhabi announced the work of art was headed to the new museum. The saga of the only Leonardo Da Vinci painting in private hands has taken another twist with reports that US intelligence has identified the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, as the true buyer of the work, which was sold for $450m (£335m) at auction.
The man was named as Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammad Farhan al-Saud, a royal from a distant branch of the ruling family, by the New York Times. The US newspaper said it had reviewed documents that identified him as the buyer of Salvator Mundi, a painting depicting Jesus Christ that was sold at auction for a record $450m. The claim will raise eyebrows, coming in the midst of a sweeping anti-corruption drive in the kingdom that has seen 159 business leaders, including members of the royal family, imprisoned in a five-star hotel over allegations of financial malfeasance.
Bader’s purchase of the work raised eyebrows, coming in the midst of a wide-ranging crackdown by the Saudi authorities on corruption in the kingdom, in which 159 business leaders, including members of the royal family, have been detained in a five-star hotel in the capital Riyadh. The actual buyer of Salvator Mundi, a painting depicting Jesus Christ, was identified on Thursday as Prince Bader bin Abdullah, a little known Saudi prince who was appointed to a commission led by Bin Salman in July and appears to be an ally of the crown prince.
The purge, engineered by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, was aimed at overturning decades of high-level corruption and the siphoning of public funds by officials. US intelligence assessments seen by the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have identified Bin Salman, the powerful heir to the Saudi throne, as the true buyer of the painting, with Bin Abdullah acting as an intermediary.
Bader does not appear to be a target of the corruption investigations, but instead was appointed in July to a top posting at a prestigious commission headed by the crown prince and tasked with developing a province with key historical sites. The Louvre Abu Dhabi this week announced that the painting would be on display in the new museum. It is a coup for the institution and its backers, the rulers of the United Arab Emirates, who are key allies of Bin Salman in a tumultuous time for the Gulf states.
The commission will introduce proposals to modernise the region of al-Ola, which contains archaeological sites of great value, including Mada’in Saleh, a Nabatean-era site that is believed by Muslims to have been the home of an ancient prophet in the Qur’an. The news further ties the saga of the painting to the intrigues in the kingdom, and may prove embarrassing to the Saudi leader due to the ongoing anti-corruption drive. Earlier this week, Saudi officials said 159 businessmen and princes had been detained at the Ritz-Carlton as part of the campaign, and the bank accounts of 376 people had been frozen.
Bader is the treasurer of the commission, whose plans to develop Mada’in Saleh and other sites of great archaeological value was announced with great fanfare earlier in the autumn. Such an extravagant purchase, the most expensive in art history, during the crackdown would empower critics of the purge.
It is unclear if there was foreknowledge of the plans to host the Leonardo painting in the Louvre. The Saudi crown prince is a close ally of the United Arab Emirates and its rulers in Abu Dhabi.
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Francis Bacon’s Triptych (1976) sold for $85.9m to oligarch Roman AbramovichFrancis Bacon’s Triptych (1976) sold for $85.9m to oligarch Roman Abramovich
A Chinese 18th century Qianlong dynasty porcelain vase sold for £53,100,000 ($85,921,461) at Bainbridges auction house in LondonA Chinese 18th century Qianlong dynasty porcelain vase sold for £53,100,000 ($85,921,461) at Bainbridges auction house in London
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In a statement published by the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, Bader criticised the New York Times report but did not appear to directly deny the purchase, which ties a legendary work of art to the intrigues of the oil-rich kingdom and the exploits of its royal family. It is also likely to raise the concerns of religious clerics, key pillars of authority in the kingdom. The painting glorifies Christ, who Muslims believe is a prophet rather than a divine being, and conservative scholars disapprove of the portrayal of God’s messengers in artwork.
He said the report was “imprecise” and he expressed surprise at some of the allegations in the story, without specifying the facts he disputed. He said the newspaper was “opposed to anything Saudi and frequently publishes strange rumours”. The young crown prince has repeatedly challenged the authority of the clerics, weakening the power of the morality police and granting women the right to drive. He has pledged to return Saudi Arabia, a bastion of a conservative strain of the faith, to moderate Islam.
The purchase also raises eyebrows due to the work’s veneration of Jesus as a saviour. Muslims consider Christ a prophet, not divine, and many conservatives frown on depicting God’s messengers in art. But Bin Salman has also sought to reform Saudi Islam, pruning the power of the conservative clergy in a bid to modernise the kingdom. Those factors could have played a role in the Saudi leader’s decision to use an intermediary to purchase the painting.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is the first museum to bear the Louvre name outside France and has been billed as “the first universal museum in the Arab world”. Bin Abdullah had on Thursday published a statement that described the initial New York Times report revealing him as the buyer as riddled with inaccuracies, but stopped short of denying that he purchased the painting and did not say whether Bin Salman had played a role.
It opened on 8 November in the presence of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who described it as a “bridge between civilisations”. Bin Abdullah is treasurer of a committee charged with developing a region in Saudi Arabia that contains many archaelogical sites, including Mada’in Salih, a Nabatean ruin that is believed to be where an ancient prophet described in the Qur’an lived.
It is the first of three museums slated to open on the emirate’s Saadiyat Island, with plans also in place for an edition of New York’s Guggenheim.
The island will also feature the Zayed National Museum, which had signed a loan deal with the British Museum – although the arrangement has come increasingly into question due to construction delays.
Featuring a vast silver-toned dome, the Louvre Abu Dhabi was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, drawing inspiration from Arab design and evoking both an open desert and the sea.
Salvator Mundi (Saviour of the World) went on public display in 2011 in a dramatic unveiling at the National Gallery in London, where the work was declared to be the first newly discovered Leonardo painting in a century.
It is one of fewer than 20 paintings generally accepted as being from the Renaissance master’s own hand, according to Christie’s.
It had sold for a mere £45 pounds in 1958, when the painting was thought to have been a copy, and was lost until it resurfaced at a regional auction in 2005.
Its latest sale was initiated by Russian tycoon Dmitry Rybolovlev, the boss of football club AS Monaco.
He had bought the painting in 2013 for $127.5m although he later accused a Swiss art dealer of overcharging him.