He had disappeared right after the sale. In November 2017, at Christie’s in New York, the Salvator Mundi, a work attributed to Leonardo da Vinci was won for $450 million including fees by Mohammed Ben Salman. The Saudi prince has just bought the most expensive painting in the world. But also the most controversial. Its attribution to the Renaissance master is debated in the art world. It doesn’t matter to the prince, he buys Christ the savior of the world.
Since this acquisition, the painting has disappeared. Until August 12, 2023. Admittedly, the original is still nowhere to be found. In collaboration with Bridgeman Images, the NFT platform ElmonX is releasing a series of digital editions available from this Saturday for an undisclosed price. These are not the first masterpieces reproduced in NFT. ElmonX already has in stock, The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci (1503) sold for the equivalent of 6764 dollars, The Starry Night by Van Gogh (1889), The Thinker by Auguste Rodin (1904) and The Water Lilies by Claude Monet in 1907.
The paintings are reproduced using Bridgeman’s image database. In a statement, the fine art reproduction giant, said “as the world’s leading specialists in the licensing of artistic, cultural and historical materials for reproduction, [we] are delighted to collaborate with ElmonX, experts at the forefront of NFT artistic creation”. It’s a “unique and exclusive opportunity to create high-quality NFTs based on Bridgeman Images’ extensive collection,” it says.
The NFT market is often criticized for being very volatile. In March 2021, Everydays—The First 5000 Days, a digital work created by artist Beeple sold at Christie’s for $69.3 million. But the following year, the market collapsed. According to industry watcher NonFungible, global NFT sales are down a substantial 83%.
In the world of the attribution of the Salvator Mundi, representing Christ carrying a crystal orb, to Leonardo da Vinci is debated. After its rediscovery in 2005, for several years, the greatest experts from the Met in New York, the National Gallery in London and even the Louvre Museum in Paris looked into the case of this exceptional painting. Although it is not officially authenticated, the National Gallery in London hangs it on its picture rails during its major exhibition dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci in 2012. Other experts point to the lack of evidence as to the certainty of attribution to the master.
