2017 sum-up

How to sum-up 2017? After Leonardo Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi sale for $450 million, is there room to talk about anything else? No, and I have to admit I kind of hate to even mention the subject. In some way I like the romantic idea of seeing myself as evolved critical-thinking human being as opposed to those who simply surrender to the image of power no questions asked, let alone power itself. I will elaborate with a simple example; after Salvator Mundi’s sale impact, was it really necessary for all those millions to share on social media da Vinci’s Christ photo accompanied by some savvy piece of information on the price tag?

Salvator Mundi auction at Christie's New York on November 15th 2017

Via Giornale di Sicilia

I understand the resonance of the issue, but I truly don’t think that sharing an over diffused image of a worldwide power icon on a social network will provide the user with any of the work’s glow. And if it actually says anything about us, I have the impression that it could only explain the degree of similarity of our behavioral approach to that of apes. Let’s wake up and realize that Salvator Mundi is about everything but the work that Leonardo da Vinci actually painted. As a matter of fact, Jerry Saltz acidly pointed out how an anonymous expert told him that an Old Masters work as the one in question was being offered at Christie’s quintessential Post-War & Contemporary evening autumn sale because “90% of the work had been painted in the last 50 years” (sic). Generally speaking, no serious Old Masters collector, or any collector, in a sane state of mind would dare to buy a work so heavily restored, altered and distorted as Salvator Mundi; if what they are looking for is aesthetic quality and value. However, if the buyer is looking to project social and economic power, let’s say for the sake of tourism or geopolitics, it really doesn’t matter how shitty the work is as long as it has a good story behind it. In this case, Christie’s outstanding marketing campaign and the sum paid by a petrodollar state is more than enough to guarantee humanity’s attention for a long, long time.

Leonardo DiCaprio in a promotional video for Christie's Salvator Mundi auction

Via W Magazine

The average time every Louvre visitor stands in front of the Mona Lisa, a work that Leonardo took 16 years to accomplish, is 15 seconds; enough to take a bad photo and leave. And yet the best part of this story is that half of the visitors that went to see the Mona Lisa left the Louvre without even looking at another work in the museum. So, who cares about Salvator Mundi, its attribution, the work’s quality, its restoration, etc.? Nobody could care less because the truth is humans are scarily predictable, controllable and enjoy watching, sharing and posting images of the famous and powerful regardless of their meaning. So, I came to two conclusions after 2017: first is that the art market will only crash the day humanity disappears, and second that the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s new acquisition will pay off within months; Salvator Mundi’s price is peanuts when looking at the tourism projections and the UAE’s new added value brand recognition. Congratulations, UAE! You have perfectly understood what art investment is all about.