"Though Epstein did not refer to the painting by its name, he was talking about Salvator Mundi, the most expensive artwork ever sold publicly at auction. In 2017, the painting sold for $450.3 million at a Christie's auction. Its attribution, however, has come into doubt since then. The painting's buyer was reportedly Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud, a Saudi prince who was little known at the time."
"Salvator Mundi has disappeared from public view in the years since. Investigations into its whereabouts have ensnared Dmitry Rybolovlev, a Russian billionaire who has appeared on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list and was involved in negotiations to purchase the work prior to the Christie's auction. (Rybolovlev tried to gain the painting with the help of Sotheby's, whom he claimed worked with the dealer Yves Bouvier to defraud him out of millions of dollars. Rybolovlev sued the auction house and lost.)"
Jeffrey Epstein expressed interest in art in an email exchange with Michael Wolff on May 30, 2019. Epstein referenced a very expensive painting commonly attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi, which sold for $450.3 million at Christie's in 2017. The painting's attribution has since been questioned. The reported buyer was Saudi prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud, thought to have purchased it for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Salvator Mundi has disappeared from public view. Investigations involved Dmitry Rybolovlev, who negotiated earlier and later bought a $95 million Palm Beach house formerly owned by Trump. Epstein questioned the connections and valuation.
Read at ARTnews.com
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