#The lost masterpiece tv

To recap, this very old and damaged painting was “discovered” in New Orleans, exhibited in London, sold to a Russian oligarch, re-sold to the murderous Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) for a staggering sum and negotiated into an exhibition at the Louvre, which declined to authenticate it or give it standing alongside their most prized painting, the “Mona Lisa.” But the French film is more thorough, more blunt, has more edge and takes a firmer stand on the “Lost Leonardo” than “The Lost Leonardo.” If you saw “The Lost Leonardo,” as I did, you probably don’t need to stream or catch “Savior for Sale.” They’re damned near identical. The filmmakers - Andreas Koefoed for “Leonardo,” Antoine Vitkine made “Savior for Sale” - even use the same graphics in tracking the travels of this tale of how this damaged, “paint-over” painting of Jesus, perhaps painted by Leonardo Da Vinci himself, perhaps assisted by or wholly painted by his workshop, perhaps neither, came to sell for $450 million, including commission. We see the same Christie’s Auction House video montage (a different sample) of wide-eyed/teary-eyed visitors, members of the general public, awed in the presence of this “lost masterpiece” about to be auctioned off in New York.

#The lost masterpiece tv

The film is co-produced by Mantaray Film in association with Danish Film Institute, Nordic Film and TV Fund, Swedish Film Institute, Hot Docs Partners, Nika Media, Mitten Media and Alba Collis.The French documentary “Savior for Sale” came out in France before the very fine theatrical documentary “The Lost Leonardo” hit theaters.Īs the films are about exactly the same subject - the “discovery,” epic resales and scandalous politicking involved in trying to bums-rush the authentication of a painting labeled “The Male ‘Mona Lisa'” - the filmmakers interview many of the same subjects, cover much the same ground and lean on many of the same visuals in telling this story of the insular world of high-end art, “full of people trying to make huge amounts of money out of (very very) rich people.” “It merges the love of art, money and power in such an explosive way.” “The story of the Salvator Mundi is a fascinating dark fairy tale,” director Koefoed said in a statement to TheWrap.

Is this multi-million dollar painting actually by Leonardo - or do certain power players simply want it to be? Unraveling the hidden agendas of the world’s richest men and most powerful art institutions, ‘The Lost Leonardo’ reveals how vested interests became all-important, and the truth secondary.” But as its price soars, so do questions about its authenticity. The story of “The Lost Leonardo” is described as such: “From the moment it is purchased from a shady New Orleans auction house, and its buyers discover masterful brushstrokes beneath its cheap restoration, the fate of the Salvator Mundi is driven by an insatiable quest for fame, money and power. Dogwoof and its production finance arm, TDog Productions, are both financiers in the project.Īlso Read: Sony Pictures Classics Wins Horse Racing Drama 'Jockey' The documentary - directed by Andreas Koefoed and produced by Andreas Dalsgaard for Copenhagen-based Elk Film and Christoph Jörg for Paris-based Pumpernickel Film - is currently in post-production.

Watch a clip from the documentary in the video above. Sony Pictures Classics has acquired worldwide rights (excluding UK, France and Germany) to the documentary “The Lost Leonardo.” The film tells the inside story behind the Salvator Mundi, the most expensive painting ever sold at $450 million, presumed to be a long-lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.