The most expensive painting in the world is stored in a customs warehouse in Switzerland: Bild

The most expensive painting in the world, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, has been stored in a customs warehouse in Switzerland for several years. As informs Bild, the location of the “Savior of the World”, sold at Christie’s auction in 2017 for a record $450 million, has long remained a mystery.

There were rumors that it was purchased by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, but there was never any official confirmation of this. However, American professor and Middle East expert Bernard Heickel found out from the Saudi Arabian culture minister that the painting is currently stored in a warehouse in Geneva. It turns out that Prince Mohammed plans to build a special museum for her in Riyadh. Meanwhile, the canvas is in conditions that are ideal for its preservation: optimal temperature and humidity are maintained in the warehouse, and the premises themselves are reliably protected.

This bonded warehouse in Geneva houses over a million works of art.

The history of the painting “The Savior of the World” is no less fascinating: in 2005, it was sold for only $1,175, but after a large-scale restoration it was presented as a work of Leonardo da Vinci. Despite some doubts about the authorship, by 2017 its value had increased rapidly. At the Christie’s auction, the starting price was $100 million. Auction organizers said the painting was probably purchased by the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, although it previously belonged to a Russian collector.