Culture

Mysterious Buyer of Da Vinci’s ‘Salvator Mundi’ Was A Saudi Prince

He paid $450 million for the painting.

By Rebecca Gibian
December 7, 2017 10:45 am EST

Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud is a little-known prince from a remote branch of the royal family. Even though he has no history as a major art collector, and no known great wealth, he is the mysterious buyer of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, Salvator Mundi, which sold for a record $450.3 million at auction last month. His purchase comes during a sweeping crackdown against corruption and self-enrichment in the country.

Rebecca Gibian

Rebecca Gibian

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