After $450 Million Sale, a Leonardo Vanished | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

After $450 Million Sale, a Leonardo Vanished | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

By New York Times |Abu Dhabi |Published: March 31, 2019 6:08:25 pm

After $450 Million Sale, a Leonardo Vanished

The Louvre Abu Dhabi’s failure to exhibit “Salvator Mundi” as promised has revived doubts about whether it is Leonardo’s at all, with skeptics speculating that the new owner may fear public scrutiny.

Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” on display at Christie’s in New York on November 13, 2017, two days before it sold at auction for a record-breaking 0.3 million. The bidder turned out to be a close ally and possible stand-in for the de-facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (Benjamin Norman/The New York Times)

The Louvre Abu Dhabi might seem to have all you could ask for in a world-class museum. Its acclaimed design shades its galleries under a vast dome that appears to hover over the waters of the Persian Gulf. Inside are works by Rembrandt and Vermeer, Monet and van Gogh, Mondrian and Basquiat.