Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who was recently identified as the buyer of the $450m Salvator Mundi painting by Leonardo, has launched an artistic arm of his philanthrophic Misk Foundation. The Misk Art Institute, aims to “become Saudi Arabia’s leading platform for grassroots cultural production, diplomacy and exchange”. It […]
Saudi Prince Revealed as Buyer of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Salvator Mundi’
The buyer of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Salvator Mundi (ca. 1500), which as of last month is the most expensive artwork ever sold, is the Saudi Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud. The buyer’s identity, reported by the New York Times this evening, was discovered in the midst of an investigation into Saudi Arabia’s […]
Was a ‘double-bind guarantee’ behind the $450m Leonardo sale?
The sale of Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi for $450m (including fees) at Christie’s New York on 15 November shattered every record for art prices. Since then, speculation about the identity of the buyer has ranged from Chinese billionaires to the Microsoft co-founder and Leonardo Codex collector Bill Gates; from French government officials for Abu […]