Louvre Abu Dhabi Claims It Owns Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi

Following contradictory reports about the identity of the mystery buyer who shelled out $450 million, the largest known sum ever paid for an artwork, on Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, the Louvre Abu Dhabi has issued a statement today claiming that it owns the work.

In a post on Twitter, the recently-opened institution wrote: “Louvre Abu Dhabi is looking forward to displaying the Salvator Mundi by Leonardo Da Vinci. The work was acquired by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi for the museum.”

The announcement comes a day after the New York Times revealed that the collector who purchased the work was the Saudi Arabian prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud. However, the Wall Street Journal has since published a report stating that Bader was only an intermediary, and that the crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman is the actual buyer of the work.