The Lost Leonardo (2021)

Directed by: Andreas Koefoed | 96 minutes | documentary | Starring: Robert K. Wittman, Martin Kemp, Jerry Saltz, Dianne Dwyer Modestini, Doug Patteson, Alexandra Bregman, Robert Simon, Bruce Lamarche

In 2005, a remarkable painting started a remarkable journey through the art world. It would be a Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci, the grand master and genius of the Renaissance whose fame is greater than the number of works of his that have survived; you can barely fill a room with it. It is therefore not surprising that the discovery of a new Leonardo — and thus possibly something like a new Mona Lisa — is causing quite a stir. The only question is: is this depiction of Jesus in the characteristic pose with the raised, blessing right hand and crystal ball in the left hand — and with a striking flaxen beard — really from the master, or is it from just a student from his studio or perhaps only from a later follower?

The documentary ‘The Lost Leonardo’ (2021) does not provide a definitive answer to this question, but it does show how the art world is raving about this issue. A poorly restored painting depicting the Salvator Mundi comes into the hands of dealers for a mere $1175. They suspect that there may be something more valuable under the thick layers of paint and show the work to expert Dianne Modestini. She immediately starts scrubbing with acetone and cotton swabs and then sees similarities between this Salvator Mundi and the Mona Lisa. She becomes convinced of its authenticity, or rather, she becomes captivated by it, and after painstakingly restored it, she becomes his greatest advocate.

Not all renowned art experts are as convinced as she is, suggesting that Modestini may have restored the badly damaged work “too well”. What is Da Vinci and what is Modestini? But the fire has been fueled and the value of the painting has risen sharply. The traders try to resell the Salvator Mundi for tens of millions, but nobody dares to burn their fingers until a Swiss broker buys it for a Russian oligarch for the amount of 127.5 million dollars. And then the story gets murkier. The mediator is actually negotiating $83 million and pocketing the difference, which is much more than his agreed commission. The Salvator Mundi is stored in a Swiss vault, a so-called “freeport” where the more wealthy secretly store their art collection as a financial investment, invisible to the tax authorities. The work seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth.

In 2014, the deception of the Swiss comes out and the Russian oligarch (after having sued the Swiss to the end) immediately wants to get rid of his art collection. After all, the prestige of his collection has been damaged in his eyes; each masterpiece reminds him that he has been cheated. Auction house Christie’s doesn’t mind, but expects to have to get heavier guns for the somewhat dubious Leonardo. To this end, they set up a major marketing campaign with, among others, the other Leonardo (DiCaprio) to convince the world that this Salvator Mundi is a real Da Vinci who knows how to move his audience to tears at least as well as the Mona Lisa. The scheme succeeds, so much so that a mysterious bidder over the phone offers the record price of over $450 million, the highest bid yet for a work of art. And then the Salvator Mundi disappears again, and that’s not the end of the story.

‘The Lost Leonardo’ turns the mechanics of the art world inside out, leaving you with a bitter taste in your mouth. Once again it becomes clear that value is created, the viewer’s gaze is manipulated and that even a simple painting can be the starting point of political power games.