THE LOST LEONARDO
****
Director: Andreas Koefoed
Screenwriters: Andreas Koefoed, Andreas Dalsgaard, Christian Kirk Muff, Mark Monroe and Duska Zagorac.
Principal cast:
Dianne Modestini
Robert Simon
Alexander Parish
Warren Adelson
Yves Bouvier
Luke Syson
Martin Kemp
Country: Denmark/France
Classification: PG
Runtime: 96 mins.
Australian release date: 2 December 2021.
Like antiques and real estate, works of art are really only worth the money someone is prepared to pay for them. In Andreas Koefoed’s absorbing documentary The Lost Leonardo, we are taken on a thrilling journey thanks to a ‘sleeper’ painting that has been attributed to no less an artist than Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi (Saviour of the World). A ‘sleeper’ is a painting credited to a lesser order painter but which a ‘sleeper hunter’ suspects has been created by a better-known artist, so is worth much more than its estimated value. Purchased for the sum of US$1,175 from a New Orleans auction house in 2005 by ‘sleeper hunters’ Alexander Parish and Robert Simon, the painting was extensively examined and restored by Dianne Modestini, one of the top art conservation professionals in the world. Over the course of her labours, she became convinced that Salvator Mundi was indeed the work of the maestro Leonardo. As the reputation of the unknown work began to spread, it created a flurry of interest from experts around the world and divided the ranks as to its authenticity. Was it actually painted by the High Renaissance master or merely by one of his apprentices?
After its extensive restoration, which included stripping many layers of overpainting, the painting was bought and sold on a number of occasions, never without controversy, and each time significantly increasing in value. It ultimately sold at auction at Christie’s in 2017 for the world record price of US$450,300,000 to Prince Badr bin Abdullah, supposedly acting for the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism. It was subsequently believed, however, that the purchase was made on behalf of the notorious Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, aka MBS. What happened to it after that and where is it now? Well, therein lies another mystery, as it was going to be exhibited at the Louvre Adu Dhabi in 2018 but the viewing was cancelled at the last minute. Then, in 2019, when it was due to appear at the Louvre Paris as part of its landmark da Vinci exhibition, it failed to show again. The rumour mill has it on board MBS’s yacht but another theory is that it is being stored “somewhere in Switzerland”. Wherever it is, it will probably remain a secret until the owner, whoever that is, decides to sell it.
Suffice to say, one hopes it gets to see the light of day again, not just because of its artistic and historic value but also for the debate it engenders regarding the obscene amounts of money spent to acquire it. The Lost Leonardo is divided into three chapters: The Art Game, The Money Game and The Global Game and it unfolds like a thriller, casting a light not just on this painting but, perhaps more importantly, on the whole idea of art as commerce. As Koefoed puts it, “The story lays bare the mechanisms of the human psyche, our longing for the divine, and our post-factual capitalist societies in which money and power override the truth. The painting becomes a prism through which we can understand ourselves and the world we live in. To this day there is no conclusive proof that the painting is – or is not – a da Vinci and as long as there is a doubt, people, institutions, and states can use it for the purpose that serves them the most.”
The filmmaker has interviewed many globally recognised critics and art historians, none of whom hold back in their opinions about the painting’s authenticity or otherwise, and Modestini herself refuses to back down from her analysis, all of which makes for a high-tension yarn that is both intriguing and yet preposterous. Four hundred and fifty million bucks! Whatever opinion you follow, there is no doubt that the work warranted a thorough investigation and has led to the most incredible result. But, seriously - four hundred and fifty million?
Screenwriters: Andreas Koefoed, Andreas Dalsgaard, Christian Kirk Muff, Mark Monroe and Duska Zagorac.
Principal cast:
Dianne Modestini
Robert Simon
Alexander Parish
Warren Adelson
Yves Bouvier
Luke Syson
Martin Kemp
Country: Denmark/France
Classification: PG
Runtime: 96 mins.
Australian release date: 2 December 2021.
Like antiques and real estate, works of art are really only worth the money someone is prepared to pay for them. In Andreas Koefoed’s absorbing documentary The Lost Leonardo, we are taken on a thrilling journey thanks to a ‘sleeper’ painting that has been attributed to no less an artist than Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi (Saviour of the World). A ‘sleeper’ is a painting credited to a lesser order painter but which a ‘sleeper hunter’ suspects has been created by a better-known artist, so is worth much more than its estimated value. Purchased for the sum of US$1,175 from a New Orleans auction house in 2005 by ‘sleeper hunters’ Alexander Parish and Robert Simon, the painting was extensively examined and restored by Dianne Modestini, one of the top art conservation professionals in the world. Over the course of her labours, she became convinced that Salvator Mundi was indeed the work of the maestro Leonardo. As the reputation of the unknown work began to spread, it created a flurry of interest from experts around the world and divided the ranks as to its authenticity. Was it actually painted by the High Renaissance master or merely by one of his apprentices?
After its extensive restoration, which included stripping many layers of overpainting, the painting was bought and sold on a number of occasions, never without controversy, and each time significantly increasing in value. It ultimately sold at auction at Christie’s in 2017 for the world record price of US$450,300,000 to Prince Badr bin Abdullah, supposedly acting for the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism. It was subsequently believed, however, that the purchase was made on behalf of the notorious Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, aka MBS. What happened to it after that and where is it now? Well, therein lies another mystery, as it was going to be exhibited at the Louvre Adu Dhabi in 2018 but the viewing was cancelled at the last minute. Then, in 2019, when it was due to appear at the Louvre Paris as part of its landmark da Vinci exhibition, it failed to show again. The rumour mill has it on board MBS’s yacht but another theory is that it is being stored “somewhere in Switzerland”. Wherever it is, it will probably remain a secret until the owner, whoever that is, decides to sell it.
Suffice to say, one hopes it gets to see the light of day again, not just because of its artistic and historic value but also for the debate it engenders regarding the obscene amounts of money spent to acquire it. The Lost Leonardo is divided into three chapters: The Art Game, The Money Game and The Global Game and it unfolds like a thriller, casting a light not just on this painting but, perhaps more importantly, on the whole idea of art as commerce. As Koefoed puts it, “The story lays bare the mechanisms of the human psyche, our longing for the divine, and our post-factual capitalist societies in which money and power override the truth. The painting becomes a prism through which we can understand ourselves and the world we live in. To this day there is no conclusive proof that the painting is – or is not – a da Vinci and as long as there is a doubt, people, institutions, and states can use it for the purpose that serves them the most.”
The filmmaker has interviewed many globally recognised critics and art historians, none of whom hold back in their opinions about the painting’s authenticity or otherwise, and Modestini herself refuses to back down from her analysis, all of which makes for a high-tension yarn that is both intriguing and yet preposterous. Four hundred and fifty million bucks! Whatever opinion you follow, there is no doubt that the work warranted a thorough investigation and has led to the most incredible result. But, seriously - four hundred and fifty million?