{UAH} Why and how on earth would a Saudi Prince buy a JC art for a whooping $450mln. Haram kabisa
|
12:17 PM |
No comments |
Where in the world is Salvator Mundi, the most expensive painting ever sold?
Salvator Mundi was supposed to go on display in December at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a Paris museum satellite, but that exhibition was delayed without explanation
A Christie's employee poses with Salvator Mundi, a painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, on Oct. 24, 2017
Facebook
Twitter
Reddit
Email
MoreLong before it got caught up in Robert Mueller's investigation into Donald Trump's dealings with Russia, the ethereally beautiful portrait of Jesus known as Salvator Mundi, Latin for "saviour of the world," was in the possession of a Catholic choir master and air conditioning contractor in Baton Rouge, La., called Basil Clovis Hendry.
In those innocent times, before Hendry died in 2004 and his daughter sold it for a few thousand dollars, no one thought it was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.
Hendry had inherited it from his aunt, Minnie Kurtz, who had bought it with her husband Warren for $45 in 1958, as part of their interest in European art. At the time, they believed it was by a minor follower of da Vinci, Giovanni Boltraffio. Before that, it had been in a private collection in England since 1900, but before that, there was a gap of centuries. Now, it is understood to have once been owned by Charles I, the 17th century king of England, and before that in the French royal court.
Today, however, a little over a year after it sold to a Saudi prince for $450 million as the most expensive painting ever, no one knows where it is, and there are grave concerns for its physical safety. There is also wild speculation over the true purpose of what has been reported as a massive overpayment for a painting that was expected to fetch about a quarter that amount. And there are tantalizing details about the seller, a Russian oligarch whose purchase of property from Trump for a suspiciously high price is part of the FBI investigation into alleged Trump campaign collusion with Russia, and about the buyer, Mohammed bin Salman, the controversial ruler of Saudi Arabia who enjoys Trump's firm support even after his central role in the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi seems all but proven.
It was a very intense picture and I felt a whole slipstream of artistry and genius and some sort of otherworldliness that I'll never experience again
Salvator Mundi, a work of oil on walnut wood of 66 by 45 centimetres, was supposed to go on display in December at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a satellite of the Paris museum, but that exhibition has been delayed without explanation.
"Nobody outside the immediate Arab hierarchy knows where it is," Martin Kemp, the art historian who first saw the painting in 2008 and helped to vouch for its authenticity, told The Times of London in November. Robert Simon, the dealer who bought it from the Hendry family in 2005, similarly said, "The mystery of its location is, of course, disturbing."
And Dianne Dwyer Modestini, who restored it from the miserable condition it was in — cracked, overpainted, grimy — said she has been pleading with the Louvre Abu Dhabi for assurances that the fragile work is being properly cared for.
"It was a very intense picture and I felt a whole slipstream of artistry and genius and some sort of otherworldliness that I'll never experience again," she told CNN.
There has also been a dispute over how the painting was stored, and why a glass covering, which was removed for the 2017 auction, was replaced with a less air-tight acrylic.
Known colloquially as the male Mona Lisa, Salvator Mundi is "a painting of the most iconic figure in the world by the most important artist of all time," said Loic Gouzer, who led the auction for Christie's. His colleague, Alan Wintermute, called it the "Holy Grail of Old Master paintings," and its sale is "as close as I've come to an art world miracle."
A general view shows part of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum designed by French architect Jean Nouvel on November 7, 2017 on the eve of the official opening of the museum on Saadiyat island in the Emirati capital. More than a decade in the making, the Louvre Abu Dhabi opens its doors this week, bringing the famed name to the Arab world for the first time. The museum currently has some 300 pieces on loan, including an 1887 self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci's "La Belle Ferronniere". This unique value is due to the place da Vinci occupies in the Western artistic imagination, as an unrivalled polymath, artistic genius, creative inventor, and master of the human form. Only about 20 of his paintings are thought to be in existence. Those include The Last Supper, a masterpiece of composition that nevertheless has spawned several jokes about why everyone is sitting on the same side of the table, and the Mona Lisa, whose enigmatic smile has made it the most famous painting in the world.
Art dealers Robert Simon and Alexander Parrish bought it for less than $10,000 in 2005 at Hendry's estate sale in New Orleans, and with Modestini's restoration help, they showed it to experts in 2008 in London. Kemp would later report that "signs of Leonardo's magic asserted themselves."
There was controversy, and still is. The crystal orb in Jesus's left hand seems to violate the physics of light, which is curious. Salvator Mundi was painted around 1500, when da Vinci was in his late 40s, and had been closely studying the science of light. His right thumb also appears to have shifted in position. There is also a notable absence of any pose or physical composition typical of da Vinci's genius sense for the human body. Jesus simply faces the viewer dead on.
But it was authenticated by England's National Gallery, and shown there in 2011, and at the Dallas Museum of Art in 2012.
The next year, Simon and Parrish sold it to a Russian billionaire potash magnate, Dmitry Rybolovlev, via art dealer Yves Bouvier, a Swiss shipping tycoon facing investigation in a massive alleged fraud. Rybolovlev, who is president of Monaco's football club and is the largest shareholder in the Bank of Cyprus, has figured in the Mueller investigation because he bought property in Florida from Trump in 2008 at approximately double the value, and because of reports his plane was spotted at airports coinciding with Trump campaign events.
idding representatives react after Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" sold for $450 million at Christie's, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017, in New York. His purchase of Salvator Mundi and other artworks led to an ongoing legal war in the courts of many countries against Bouvier, over claims the price had been inflated. In October, Rybolovlev also sued Sotheby's, claiming he was misled over the price, which the auction house denies.
Salvator Mundi only came to major international attention, however, when Rybolovlev decided to sell it at Christie's in New York, and a major tour was set up. The final winning bid was $400 million, plus $50 million in fees. The New York Times, reportedly based on information from the FBI, soon identified the buyer as a Saudi prince acting on behalf of Mohammed bin Salman. That prince was later named Saudi culture minister.
The price reportedly went so high because another competing bidder was also close to the Saudi ruler, Mohammed Bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and they were unwittingly bidding against each other.
Lately, there have been reports that bin Salman may even have traded it for a yacht.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi has given no indication of when it might be displayed
"If I'm right, and I'm pretty sure I am," writes Dr. Epstein, Trump is capable of only a minimal level of analytical or critical thinking." (Photo: DonkeyHotey/flickr/cc)
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
Related Posts:
{UAH} " Uganda's Eddy Kenzo grew up on the streets - now he's making his first Canadian appearance at Afrofest- {UAH} Presidential pilot's salary increases by 10 times
- {UAH} Start preparing for a Uganda without Museveni at the helm
- {UAH} Justice Bamugemereire’s team receives another case of ‘land fraud’ against Min Amongi
- {UAH} Government bows to pressure, suspends direct social media tax
0 comments:
Post a Comment