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# Saudi Prince Identified as Buyer of $450.3M Leonardo Painting "Salvator Mundi" [UPDATED]
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/leonardo-salvator-mundi-buyer-saudi-prince/
- Published: 2017-12-07T00:47:39.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T16:25:54.000Z
- Description: Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud, a friend of the Saudi crown prince, is paying for the painting in monthly installments of $58 million.
- Author: Benjamin Sutton
- Tags: In Brief, Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 07:30(2016, 2017, part 3)

![Leonardo da Vinci, “Salvator Mundi” (ca 1500), oil on panel, 25 7/8 x 18 in (image courtesy Christie’s)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2017/11/mundi_framed-1460-1.jpg)

Leonardo da Vinci, “Salvator Mundi” (ca 1500), oil on panel, 25 7/8 x 18 in (image courtesy Christie’s)

The mystery buyer who [dropped $450.3 million](https://hyperallergic.com/leonardo-da-vincis-salvator-mundi-sells-400-million/) in the biggest art sale ever has been identified: Leonardo da Vinci’s “[Salvator Mundi](https://hyperallergic.com/tag/salvator-mundi/)” was acquired by the Saudi Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud, according to David Kirkpatrick of the [*New York Times*](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/world/middleeast/salvator-mundi-da-vinci-saudi-prince-bader.html?smid=tw-share&ref=hyperallergic.com).

![Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud (image via Saudi Research and Marketing Group)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2017/12/prince-bader-salvator-mundi-buyer.jpg)

Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud (image via Saudi Research and Marketing Group)

Prince Bader, a friend of Saudi Arabia’s young crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is not known as a major art collector, but has extensive dealings in the real estate, telecommunications, and recycling industries in Saudi Arabia, according to [his profile](http://www.energyhii.com/page.aspx?id=180&ref=hyperallergic.com) on the website of the company Energy Holdings International, on whose board of directors he once served. He currently serves as chairman of the Riyadh-based [Saudi Research and Marketing Group](http://www.srmg.com/en/board-directors?ref=hyperallergic.com) (SRMG), which publishes 15 magazines and newspapers, including the Arabic daily [*Asharq Al-Awsat*](https://aawsat.com/?ref=hyperallergic.com). In September, [he helped broker](http://www.arabnews.com/node/1164451/media?ref=hyperallergic.com) a deal between SRMG and Bloomberg to form the joint, Arabic-language media platform Bloomberg Al-Arabiya.

Unlike much of the Saudi elite, which has been scooped up or intimidated into silence by [Prince Mohammed’s ongoing purge](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-06/are-saudi-arrests-crackdown-shakedown-or-purge-quicktake-q-a?ref=hyperallergic.com), Prince Bader appears to be in good standing with the heir apparent to King Salman’s throne. As the *Times* points out, in July the king appointed Prince Bader as governor of a new commission led by Prince Mohammed and charged with developing the Al Ola region into a tourist destination. It is home to the first place in Saudi Arabia designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the [Al-Hijr archaeological site](http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1293?ref=hyperallergic.com).

According to documents reviewed by the *New York Times*, Prince Bader is paying Christie’s the $450.3 million (including a buyer’s premium) in six monthly installments of roughly $58.4 million each.

The fact that the buyer of “Salvator Mundi” is Saudi royalty helps to explains why the blockbuster painting is going to [resurface at the Louvre Abu Dhabi](https://hyperallergic.com/leonardo-salvator-mundi-louvre-abu-dhabi/). The crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is [a staunch and outspoken supporter](http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/521075/World/Mena/UAE-stands-by-Saudi-Arabia-Abu-Dhabi-Crown-Prince?ref=hyperallergic.com) of his Saudi counterpart.

**Update, 12/8/2017:** The [Louvre Abu Dhabi announced today](https://hyperallergic.com/louvre-abu-dhabi-claims-they-own-leonardos-salvator-mundi/) that “Salvator Mundi” was acquired by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi for the museum’s collection. Previously, a [*Wall Street Journal* report](https://hyperallergic.com/saudi-crown-prince-buyer-leonardo-salvator-mundi/) suggested that the actual buyer was the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.