MYSTERY SOLVED?

Da Vinci’s ‘Salvator Mundi’ Spotted on Mohammed bin Salman’s Yacht: WSJ

The world’s most expensive painting has not been seen publicly since 2017.

Leonard da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi,” a painting of controversial provenance which became the most expensive ever sold after achieving a $450 million auction price in 2017, was seen on display aboard Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s 439-foot superyacht Serene, according to unnamed sources cited by The Wall Street Journal. Known colloquially as MBS, the Saudi leader purchased the masterpiece through Christie’s, bidding secretly via Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed, a distant relative. It was reportedly meant to be hung at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, but never ended up on the museum’s walls. The painting’s whereabouts have been a mystery since—some in the art world claimed it was in Switzerland, while others believed it was in Saudi Arabia but did not know where.