Revealed! Saudi Prince Salman Bought $450m Jesus Painting

Hamilton Nwosa
Writer

Ad

What Will They Eat When They Finish The Money? By Azu Ishiekwene

The grave is never satisfied, but other things compete with it for insatiability. I can’t help feeling that some members of Nigeria’s National Assembly will vie for the top place of never enough with the grave, water and fire. Enough is a stranger to them. What happens in these chambers in Abuja, in the name…

Minimum Wages in 50 U.S. States & 35 Countries, Adjusted for Living Costs

Key Takeaways After adjusting for inflation and price differences, statutory minimum wages in leading high-income economies—including Germany, Australia, and France—are higher than all 50 U.S. states. Under the same metrics D.C., Connecticut, Washington, and Arizona have the highest statutory minimum wages in the U.S. U.S. states following the federal minimum wage (which hasn’t moved since 2008), cluster at…

Lagos Issues Two-Week Ultimatum to Trade Fair Developers to Secure Bui

By Abiola Olawale The Lagos State Government has handed property developers and structure owners at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo a two-week deadline to obtain building approvals. The directive was announced by Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, on Thursday. The Commissioner stated that during the time frame, the developers…

Ad

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the actual buyer of a painting of Jesus by  Leonardo da Vinci that sold for a record-breaking $450 million at auction last month, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

The young  crown prince, known by his initials MBS, used an intermediary to buy the much-sought-after painting of Christ, “Salvator Mundi,” the newspaper reported, citing US intelligence and other unnamed sources.

The son of Saudi King Salman is seen to be progressively consolidating his power, and is the architect of a wide-ranging plan dubbed Vision 2030 to bring social and economic change to his country’s oil-dependent economy.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman

He is also seen as the mastermind of last month’s rounding-up of more than 200 princes, ministers and businessmen in a sweeping anti-corruption purge.

The painting — one of fewer than 20 works generally accepted as being by the Renaissance master, according to Christie’s — was bought by little-known Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud, reports say.

The Journal reported that Bader was the nominal buyer, but said MBS was identified in US intelligence reports as the true owner.

“He is a proxy for MBS,” an unnamed figure in the Gulf art world told the Journal.

American officials are keeping close tabs on the crown prince, the paper said, citing unnamed sources.

On Wednesday, the Louvre Abu Dhabi announced that the record-breaking Da Vinci painting would be displayed there.

The reports come shortly after the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a new military and economic committee, separate from the Gulf Cooperation Council.

In recent years, Qatar has been the biggest player in the Gulf art world, but in June, Saudi Arabia and some of its allies broke off diplomatic and trade relations with Doha, which they accuse of supporting extremist movements.

“Salvator Mundi” — dated to around 1500 — is the last known Da Vinci in the hands of a private collector. It was long believed to be a copy but was finally authenticated about a dozen years ago.

Ad

Unlocking Opportunities in the Gulf of Guinea during UNGA80
X whatsapp