Salvator Mundi, Leonardo da Vinci
Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci is the most expensive painting ever sold.
Salvator Mundi
Provenance History: timeline
The fact that the last bid jumped from $370 million to $400 million is indicative of just how amateurish and unorthodox the process was that characterized this entire enterprise.
Qatar was said to have spent $1 billion per year on Western art over an extended period.
The Top 10 Al-Thani Family Art Acquisitions - artnet News
"Why anyone would pay that kind of money for a piece that had questions about it is very strange. That particular painting is not worth what was paid for it. So there is a suspicious aspect to it. And the provenance is very murky."
-Robert King Wittman, former FBI art crime specialist
The unusual speed with which the painting's value increased and the unclear circumstances surrounding its acquisition and ownership have led to demands for more strict regulations of the art market.