Un principe saudita è il misterioso acquirente che in novembre ha comprato da Christie's per 450 milioni di dollari il "Salvator Mundi" di Leonardo, il dipinto definito come il più costoso della storia. Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud appartiene a un ramo remoto della famiglia reale saudita e non era in precedenza noto per essere un collezionista.
La rivelazione, sulla base di documenti di cui il New York Times ha preso visione, collega quello che finora era rimasto un mistero ai recenti intrighi di palazzo in Arabia Saudita. Il principe avrebbe pagato una valanga di dollari per un'opera controversa e dal soggetto decisamente non islamico in un momento in cui le elite saudite, compresi membri della famiglia reale, tengono un basso profilo di fronte a una vasta campagna anti-corruzione.
Una portavoce di Christie's non ha voluto confermare l'identità dell'acquirente, né Bader ha risposto alla richiesta di precisazioni del giornale. L'opera sarà esposta alla struttura aperta a novembre dal Louvre di Parigi ad Abu Dhabi, negli Emirati Arabi Uniti.
ATS/M. Ang.
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