A day before the painting 鈥淪alvator Mundi鈥� sold for a record-breaking US$450 million, New York Magazine art critic Jerry Saltz a 鈥減robable copy鈥� and a 鈥渢wo-dimensional ersatz dashboard Jesus.鈥�
鈥淚 think we鈥檝e wished this da Vinci into existence,鈥� Saltz told CTV News Channel from New York on Thursday. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 fake art news.鈥�
The painting, whose Latin name means 鈥淪aviour of the World,鈥� was sold to an unnamed private buyer by on Wednesday, shattering a previous art sale record by more than $150 million. According to Christie鈥檚, the painting dates from around 1500 and was painted by the great Italian Renaissance artist and polymath Leonardo da Vinci. In the run-up to this week鈥檚 auction, Christie鈥檚 billed the painting as 鈥渢he last da Vinci鈥� and 鈥渢he greatest and most unexpected artistic rediscovery of the 21st century.鈥� There are fewer than 20 known da Vinci paintings in the world.
But Saltz disagrees, and there are others in the art world who question the attribution. "I think it鈥檚 a real flimflam,鈥� Saltz said. 鈥淚 think that if you really look at this painting, Leonardo never painted anyone remotely like this: never anybody looking dead-on, never a surface this dull, inert -- a mess! And Christie鈥檚 claims there鈥檚 a consensus claiming that it might be real. Actually, it鈥檚 12 people and the foremost da Vinci expert in the world thinks on the contrary, that this is not remotely like a da Vinci.鈥�
Allegedly painted between masterpieces like 鈥淭he Last Supper鈥� and the 鈥淢ona Lisa,鈥� the comparatively bland 鈥淪alvator Mundi,鈥� Saltz added, seems very out-of-place.
鈥淐hristie鈥檚 is really banking on this being real based on maybe two drawings that are similar to Jesus鈥� sleeves,鈥� Saltz said. 鈥淏ut Leonardo definitely did do drawings like this, but these were done for his students to show them how to do sleeves. He didn鈥檛 paint this painting.鈥�
Although Christie鈥檚 refused an on camera interview with CTV News, in written communication, Christie鈥檚 claims there were 鈥渕ultiple elements, detailed studies, expert opinions and research used to assess the authorship of the painting," all of Some of the most significant points, include: 鈥淭echnical examinations and analyses have demonstrated the consistency of the pigments, media, and technique discovered in Salvator Mundi with those known to have been used by Leonardo."
As well, according to Christie鈥檚 鈥渢he painting technique is close to that of the Mona Lisa and the Saint John the Baptist, the face in particular built up with multiple, extremely thin paint layers, another distinctive technical aspect that support Leonardo鈥檚 authorship.鈥�
Christie鈥檚 also claims that the authenticity of the painting was confirmed in 2011 by established experts after more than 5 years of research and study. And that the authenticity was reconfirmed for Christie鈥檚 prior to the sale, by 10 separate leading scholars of Leonardo da Vinci and Renaissance period painting (including Luke Syson, previously the Curator of Italian Paintings before 1500 and Head of Research at the National Gallery, London). Syson featured the painting in a major exhibition at the National Gallery in 2011.
In another interview with CTV News Channel, artist Marco Sassone said he believes the painting is authentic based on the gaze, face and eyes of 鈥淪alvator Mundi.鈥�
But Saltz says if the painting is in fact a genuine da Vinci, it should never have been auctioned off to a private buyer in the first place. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 a da Vinci, it belongs in a museum,鈥� Saltz declared.
With files from CTV News Channel and The Associated Press
Update includes written comments from Christie鈥檚
