The most expensive work of art in the world was to be unveiled on Tuesday at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. However, the exhibition of “Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci (1452 to 1519) was postponed – without any reason given, or a new date.
Is there anything wrong with the painting that was auctioned at the Christie’s New York in November 2017 for the world record price of 450 million dollars?
Experts suspect that the image of Christ has been doctored before sale. When it was exhibited at the National Gallery London in 2011, there were some doubts: the pedantic Leonardo would never have painted the folds of the robe behind the glass ball, ignoring the refraction of the light. At the 2017 auction, the wrinkles suddenly looked “right”.
The magazine “Art” the German specialist Prof. Frank Zöllner (62) wrote about Leonardo: “The question arises whether the restorers have responded with a modification of the folds to the objections of the critics.”
So a manipulation to seduce connoisseurs and drive up the price? Zöllner to BamS: “An absurdity, if that happened.”