Leonardo Da Vinci's “Salvator Mundi”, dating from around 1500, was auctioned in November 2017 for $ 450.3 million by Christie's in New York.

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What if Leonardo da Vinci had not signed the

Salvator Mundi

, the most expensive painting in the world?

A documentary, broadcast this Tuesday on France 5, affirms that for the Louvre, it is a workshop work, with minimal contribution from the master of the Italian Renaissance.

But several surveys published in recent days in the media support the opposite, relying on confidential documents.

Saudi Arabia, owner of the painting, has asked France to assess the painting before a possible loan for the great Leonardo da Vinci retrospective at the Louvre, which will be held from October 2019 to February 2020. The Louvre houses the C2RMF, state-of-the-art laboratory for the analysis of works of art.

The painting stayed there for three months, in 2018.

"The Louvre has certified that the painting was a work of Leonardo"

"The Louvre and the C2RMF have reached the opposite conclusion to that of the documentary: for them, the painting is indeed by Leonardo's hand, and only his", writes Didier Rykner in the magazine

La Tribune de l'Art

, at the origin of several revelations on the subject.

"The communication of this information to the Saudis would have taken place in September 2019".

In an article published on Monday, the

New York Times

added: "The Louvre certified that the painting was a work of Leonardo, but it kept the conclusions secret after a dispute with its owners."

"The Louvre denied its existence"

In a book co-published by Hazan and Les Editions du Louvre, the patron of the Louvre Jean-Luc Martinez and the curator Vincent Delieuvin confirm the attribution of the painting to the Italian master.

But this book was only put on sale for one day at the museum's bookstore, before being hastily withdrawn, according to Didier Rykner, once all hope of a loan of the painting by Saudi Arabia had been abandoned.

The director of the documentary, Antoine Vitkine, deplored "never to have been able to access this document, insofar as the Louvre denied its existence" any more than "to the conclusions of the expertise".

Today, "in the context of the media coverage of my documentary, the document is made public in its entirety," he observes.

It was Saudi demands that prevented the painting from being integrated into the great Leonardo da Vinci exhibition in winter 2019-2020.

Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman wanted the work to be exhibited alongside the Mona Lisa in the Hall of States.

The curators of the museum were opposed to it, indicates Didier Rykner, because of “problems of security and affluence”, with these two highly publicized paintings side by side.

On the other hand, they felt that this painting obviously had its place in the exhibition, the curators also thought that there was no reason to make the most important painting of the retrospective, even if it had been sold at a record price, adds the journalist and art historian.

A simple "contribution from the great Italian master"

It was planned to install the Salvator Mundi within the exhibition, then to mount it in the States Room.

But this solution was not adopted and the Saudis definitively refused the loan of the web.

The documentary affirms that the expertise carried out at the C2RMF laboratory presents a "contribution", and only that, "of the great Italian master".

The Louvre refuses to confirm or deny press information, citing the ban on discussing the authenticity of a work that has not been exhibited within it.

"Antoine Vitkine had requested the Louvre but we did not wish to answer his questions, the painting not having been loaned during the retrospective", indicates the museum.

A painting that keeps its mystery

This painting keeps its mystery and has not been shown in public since its sale.

We do not know until where he is.

Some mention his presence on Prince ben Salman's private yacht.

Bought in 2005 in poor condition for just $ 1,175 by a New York art dealer, this painting had been restored, presented at an exhibition at the National Gallery in 2011 and bought by a Russian oligarch, who then had it. resold.

It made global headlines when it was auctioned off in November 2017 for the record $ 450 million.

The buyer had remained anonymous but would be none other than "MBS", the young Saudi prince.

Culture

"Only Leonardo and the Louvre can do that", rejoices Jean-Luc Martinez.

Culture

“We hit the road at midnight”, “I was trembling with impatience”… At the Louvre, visitors savor the nocturnes of the Da Vinci exhibition

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  • Culture

  • Vinci

  • Documentary

  • Louvre