Record for Salvator Mundi: sold for $450 million, it is the most expensive work in history

The Salvator Mundi, the controversial painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci although without unanimity from critics, and believed to be the last painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci to remain in private hands, was sold during Christie’s latest auction, which ended a few hours ago, for a record $450 million and $312,500 (382 million euros): this is a historic record as it is the most expensive work ever passed at auction. The work started from an auction base of $100 million and went for $400 million, which rose to the final figure with auction fees.

The painting broke numerous records. That of most expensive ancient work passed at auction belonged to Rubens’ Massacre of the Innocents, which sold in 2002 at Sotheby’s for $76.7 million. By contrast, the auction record for Leonardo da Vinci belonged to a Horse and Horseman, a work on paper that sold at Christie’s for $11 million in 2001. Also dusted was the all-time record for an auction: so far, the highest price ever paid at auction for a painting was $179 million for Picasso’s Les Femmes d’Alger, which sold in 2015. But Salvator Mundi also went even further, registering the highest transaction for a work of art: the record belonged to Willem de Kooning’s Interchange, which also sold privately in 2015 for $300 million.

The “battle” for the Salvator Mundi (Lot 9 in the Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale on November 15, 2017) lasted almost 20 minutes (18 and 47 seconds, to be exact), at the end of which Christie’s chairman Jussi Pylkkänen banged the hammer amid applause on the final bid of 400 million (339 million euros), which was greeted by awe in the room. The Salvator Mundi overshadowed the rest of the lots, but other important paintings were also sold: an Andy Warhol work(Sixty Last Suppers) sold for $60 million, the largest canvas in Cy Twombly’s Bacchus series, which sold for $46 million, a Mark Rohtko painting, Saffron ($32 million), and more.

Satisfaction from Christie’s top management. “An incredible team effort was made,” Guillaume Cerutti, Christie’s CEO, remarked at a press conference, adding, “It was a great moment for Christie’s and for the art market.”

Record for Salvator Mundi: sold for $450 million, it is the most expensive work in history

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