In November 2017, Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi was sold in New York for what remains the highest amount ever paid for a work of art. Since then, popular media has been filled with tales, some outlandish, about the painting’s history, conservation, ownership, and authorship. Join art historian and art dealer Robert Simon, one of the original discoverers of the painting, as he recounts the story of the painting's journey from anonymity to fame, and from £45 to $450,000,000. Robert Simon specializes in Old Master Paintings. He received his doctorate in art history from Columbia University and wrote his doctoral thesis on Bronzino’s portraits of Cosimo I de’ Medici. He has published and lectured on both art-historical matters and on broader concerns relating to the authenticity of works of art. Most recently, he co-authored “Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi & The Collecting of Leonardo in the Stuart Courts”, published by Oxford University Press. This lecture is in honor of Joseph Forte, Art History faculty, and is sponsored by the Dr. Lee MacCormick Edwards Charitable Foundation.
Members of the public are invited to attend this event virtually. Please register here. A Zoom link will be sent to registrants within 24 hours of the event or email events@sarahlawrence.edu.