Salvator Mundi will be unveiled at the Louvre Abu Dhabi on 18 September next

Salvator Mundi, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, will be unveiled to the public at the Abu Dhabi Louvre on 18 September 2018. Acquired by the Department of Culture & Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) in 2017, Salvator Mundi is one of less than 20 surviving paintings by the Italian Renaissance master, one of the greatest and most famous artists in history, and the last of his works to be included in a cultural institution’s collection.

Dating from about 1500, the Salvator Mundi is an oil on panel, executed on a walnut panel, representing a figure of Christ known as « Saviour of the World », in front of the spectator, and dressed in lapis and crimson floating dresses. The figure holds a crystal globe in his left hand as he raises his right hand in blessing. It is thought to be contemporary with La Belle Ferronnière and the Mona Lisa.

The rediscovery of the Salvator Mundi is one of the most significant artistic discoveries in recent history: it is the first discovery of a painting by Leonardo da Vinci since 1909, when the Madonna Benois, now at the Hermitage of St. Petersburg, was attributed to the artist. The unveiling of the work of art prior to its sale at Christie’s New York attracted worldwide attention. Throughout the tour of Hong Kong, London, San Francisco and New York, more than 27,000 people were able to admire the work, setting a record for the largest number of pre-sale viewers for an individual work of art, according to Christie’s.

After its unveiling at the Abu Dhabi Louvre next September, the Salvator Mundi will be on loan to the Louvre Museum in Paris, where it will be part of the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition which will run from 24 October 2019 to 24 February 2020. The Salvator Mundi is scheduled to return to Abu Dhabi after the exhibition and be exhibited again at the Abu Dhabi Louvre.