The Lost Leonardo
Suspenseful documentary about the Salvador Mundi, a painting that became the centre of controversy: is it or is it not a work by Leonardo da Vinci?
THE LOST LEONARDO tells the inside story behind the Salvator Mundi, at $450 million the most expensive painting ever, claimed to be a long-lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci. From the moment it is purchased from a shady New Orleans auction house for a mere 1,157 dollars, and its buyers discover masterful brushstrokes beneath its cheap restoration, the fate of the Salvator Mundi is driven by an insatiable quest for fame, money and power. But as its price soars, so do questions about its authenticity. Is this multi-million dollar painting actually by Leonardo – or do certain power players simply want it to be? Unravelling the hidden agendas of the world’s richest men and most powerful art institutions, THE LOST LEONARDO reveals how vested interests became all-important, and the truth secondary. In any case, even before the art experts agree, the painting is presented as a genuine Da Vinci at an exhibition at the National Gallery in London in 2012.