NEW YORK CITY (AP) — A Leonardo da Vinci painting of Christ that sold in New York for a record $450 million is heading to a museum in the United Arab Emirates.
The newly opened Louvre Abu Dhabi made the announcement on December 6.
The 500-year-old painting is called “Salvator Mundi,”’ Latin for “Savior of the World.”’ It’s one of fewer than 20 paintings by the Renaissance master known to exist and the only one in private hands. Christie’s auction house sold it to an anonymous buyer last month.
The New York Times reports according to documents it reviewed the mystery buyer was a little-known Saudi prince. Christie’s says it doesn’t comment on the identities of buyers or sellers without their permission.
The highest known sale price for any artwork had been $300 million for Willem de Kooning’s painting “Interchange.”
Editor’s note: The Louvre Abu Dhabi published a tweet Friday morning clarifying ownership of the painting: “Louvre Abu Dhabi is looking forward to displaying the Salvator Mundi by Leonardo Da Vinci. The work was acquired by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi for the museum.” Link.