A clash of wills keeps a Leonardo masterpiece hidden
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. The anonymous buyer of the Salvator Mundi was found to be acting as a surrogate for the kingdoms de facto ruler, Salman. Erin Schaff/The New York Times.
by David D. Kirkpatrick and Elaine Sciolino
NEW YORK
(NYT NEWS SERVICE)
.- French curators had worked for a decade to prepare a major exhibition marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci. When it opened, though, the most talked-about painting they had planned to show Salvator Mundi, the most expensive work ever sold at auction was nowhere to be seen.