The $450 million ‘Salvator Mundi’ painting will be on display at the Louvre Abu Dhabi from September 18…

The Louvre Abu Dhabi has announced the date when eager art aficionados will finally get the chance to gaze upon ‘Salvator Mundi’ – a long lost masterpiece by Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo Da Vinci.

The 500-year old oil on panel painting was purchased by the museum for a cool US$450 million (Dhs1.65 billion) at a Christie’s auction in New York in 2017, making it the most expensive piece of artwork ever sold.

The painting is one of fewer than 20 known surviving works by Da Vinci, that include the infamous Mona Lisa currently on display at the Louvre in Paris. The Salvator Mundi depicts a half-length Jesus dressed in a blue robe, holding an orb and staring outwards. Its addition to the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection reinforces the museum’s “own narrative on humanity and its message of acceptance and openness,”

HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi said “Lost and hidden for so long in private hands, Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece is now our gift to the world. It belongs to all of us.”

The painting will be unveiled at the Louvre Abu Dhabi on September 18.

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