The fate of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” continues to make the world’s headlines. Last August, the painting made splashes in the NFT industry, as ElmonX and Bridgeman Images announced their plans to create an NFT of it. This year, the unique da Vinci masterpiece, which is currently held in private art storage in Geneva, is again entering the global art community’s spotlight because of an announcement to return it for public display.

The public had a chance to see “Salvator Mundi” with their own eyes for the last time in 2017, at the moment it was on sale at Christie’s. That year, the painting defended the title of one of the world’s most expensive artworks, as it was sold for $450 million. The owner of the painting is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.

Da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” Returns on Public Display

Since the moment of the painting’s purchase, Mohammed bin Salman has been holding it in a private art storage facility in Geneva, where nobody can see it. There were some rumors about the painting’s presence on the Crown Prince’s mega-yacht, but they were not substantiated.

However, the fate of “Salvator Mundi” undergoes changes as Mohammed bin Salman is anticipating the opening of a new art museum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As the museum is expected to attract masses of tourists and art connoisseurs from across the globe, the da Vinci masterpiece is expected to become a cultural anchor of unique value and appeal to international audiences.

“Salvator Mundi” as the Cultural Diplomacy Asset of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Since Saudi Arabia has been experiencing a downfall in its cultural diplomacy after the scandalous murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi government and royal family have been taking grand steps to restore the country’s image in the regional and global arena. Therefore, the purchase of da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” is seen as one of the soft power efforts and a part of the Saudi ruling family’s cultural diplomacy efforts to restore the country’s positive image and fulfill its national modernization compliant with Vision 2030.

Similar to the unique place of the Louvre in the attendance list of most art fans, guaranteed by the ownership and public display of the “Mona Lisa,” “Salvator Mundi” is expected to bring millions of aspiring art aficionados to the walls of the Riyadh Museum. These efforts to modernize and improve the image of the Saudi nation as open and liberal go hand in hand with other initiatives, such as the Kingdom’s investment in top-tier tennis and golf tournaments and a bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.