Slideshow
THE LOST LEONARDO
Now Playing 
MUST END THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
DIRECTED BY ANDREAS KOEFOED
NY Times Critic's Pick
6:10 ONLY
In 2017, Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World), a portrait of Christ purportedly by Leonardo da Vinci, was auctioned by Christie’s for $450 million, a world record for any work of art. The bizarre story of its provenance, the intrigue surrounding its multi-year restoration, and the worldwide controversy regarding its authenticity: are all recounted in a non-stop narrative conflating artworld drama, international politics, and high-level financial shenanigans. Art dealers, curators, FBI and CIA agents, journalists, restorers, historians, a Russian oligarch, a Saudi prince, and the director of the Louvre are drawn into the story. On hand are outrageous art provocateur Kenny Schachter and art critic Jerry Saltz, both emphatic in their contempt for the proceedings.
2021 97 MINS DENMARK / FRANCE IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Presented with support from the Helen Frankenthaler Endowed Fund for Films on Art and the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Fund
Reviews
“A bona-fide cinema crowd-pleaser. A three-act morality play where qualms are scant and art world egos run riot in the face of wealth and power and raw, dripping greed. Koefoed’s story is filled to the brim with dodgy dealers. This is a pacey film which starts out at incredible and will only move up the scale. Director of Photography Adam Jandrup has an eye for the frame and a pleasing composition.”
– Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily
“Surprisingly suspenseful.”
– Nick Schager, Daily Beast
“Thrilling. Masterfully told.”
– Maximiliano Duron, ArtNews
“As thrilling to watch as any fictional crime narrative, THE LOST LEONARDO is also a straightforward and unflinching indictment on the way power is brokered... Andreas Koefoed guides this rapidly unraveling yarn with a steady hand, introducing a surprisingly wide cast of entertaining and fascinating characters, each at just the right time in the story. A tightly structured film that never drags, only more exciting the deeper it pulls you in.”
– Artemis Lin, The Film Stage