The Lost Leonardo (2021)

Film: The Lost Leonardo (2021)

Director: Andreas Koefoed

Oscar History: No nominations

Snap Judgment Ranking: 4/5 stars

I love all genres of film, but I will admit that when documentaries become the cinematic topic at a party, I occasionally find myself nervously eyeing the appetizer platter.  In a similar fashion to how I almost exclusively read fiction, documentaries are a harder sell for me.  The format of modern documentaries is so consistent (talking heads, mid-film reveals, horrifying realities followed by tepid calls-to-action) that it feels in some ways in the same vein as other genres that have lost their footing.  That being said, I can be won over by a documentary if it's something that interests me, and few subjects are bigger pet subjects for me than the world of high art.  I was an Art History minor in college, and love auctions, museums, and the prospect of finding a hidden masterpiece in the attic.  And of course, there is no "painting found in the attic" story more compelling than that of Salvator Mundi.

(Real life doesn't have spoiler alerts) The movie starts with the initial discovery of what is now known as the Salvator Mundi, starting with its initial purchase for around $1100 from a New Orleans auction house to its restoration by Dianne Modestini at NYU.  While restoring the painting Modestini realized that there were "two thumbs" indicating that the artist had changed the angle of the thumbs, potentially indicating that the painting was an original.  Modestini later felt certain it was a Da Vinci due to the similarities between the lips of the Salvator Mundi and the Mona Lisa.  The painting went through a hurried, and it should be noted quite shady, authentication process (several of the scholars involved said they specifically did not confirm the painting was a Da Vinci, and that it merely "could" have been a Da Vinci), and the painting went to auction.

The film does a lot of great work setting up the initial conversation about the authenticity of the painting because it brings color & shock to the back half of the film.  Salvator Mundi would eventually go to auction multiple times, making both the initial New Orleans buyers (and Modestini) a great deal of money.  It would end up in the hands of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has not let the painting be seen in public, despite several attempts, particularly one at the Louvre.  It is revealed in the documentary that the prince, whose connection to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has made him one of the most controversial and anti-democratic world leaders on the planet (despite meeting with leaders of "free democracies" like Emmanuel Macron & Donald Trump), wanted the painting in the same room as the Mona Lisa, elevating it to the status of one of the world's greatest treasures.  There is some speculation that Salman will use the painting as a tourist attraction to his country, whose dependance on oil is threatened by renewable energy pushes.  

That the painting has taken on a global significance becomes the crux of the film's argument, and a rather terrifying one at that.  The painting's attribution to Da Vinci initially emerges as a scholarly debate, but then it becomes about money & power.  Billions of dollars, the careers of hundreds of academics, auction houses, and even a country's political weight hang in the balance of whether or not this is actually a Da Vinci or simply a copy of the master's initial work.  The documentary invites more questions while doing the important step of not answering the impossible.  The film's look into the seediness of the art world is salacious & addictive, but its larger question-what is more important in the 21st Century, power or truth, is one that is increasingly difficult to answer as we watch countries wrestle with greed in the face of health & climate crises.