World most expensive artwork 2024

An unknown buyer paid somewhat more than $450 million for Salvator Mundi at a Christie's auction in 2017. According to the New York Times, the buyer was acting on behalf of a Saudi prince, Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud; the painting is now owned by the Saudi culture ministry.

Salvator Mundi, which translates to "Savior of the World," is not only the world's most costly painting, but also one of the most contentious. Many experts question that the work was wholly created by Leonardo da Vinci, stating that the overall composition does not fully reflect his style. According to an examination undertaken by the Louvre in 2018, the image gradually evolved, with Leonardo adding the hands and arms afterward.

Salvator Mundi (Latin for 'Savior of the World') is a picture credited to the Italian High Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci and dated to c. 1499-1510.Long assumed to be a duplicate of a lost original covered in overpainting, it was recovered, restored, and featured in a major exhibition of Leonardo's work at the National Gallery in London in 2011-2012.Christie's stated shortly after selling the work in 2017 that most leading scholars consider it to be Leonardo's original work, but this attribution has been challenged by other leading specialists, some of whom argue that he only contributed certain elements, and others who believe that the extensive damage prevents a definitive attribution.