The copy of Salvator Mundi painted by the Turkish artist Taner Ceylan (Selb, Germany, 1967) rekindles the debate on one of the most controversial works of art that has appeared on the market in recent years, questioning the concepts of authorship, attribution and authenticity of 'Opera. The copying process, carried out by carefully and patiently approaching ancient techniques, had already been tackled by the artist when, on the occasion of the 14th Istanbul Biennial (2015), curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, the artist had tried his hand at reproduction life-size of The fourth state , the extraordinary painting by Pellizza da Volpedo depicting a protest, made in 1901 and now kept in the Museo del Novecento in Milan.

For the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art Ceylan creates an unpublished work, a faithful copy in a slightly modified format of the Salvator Mundi attributed to Leonardo. According to some experts, the panel with the hieratic figure of Christ blessing , awarded in the New York office of Christie's on November 15, 2017 for the record sum of 450 million dollars, is according to some experts the original Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci, from which the many variants would derive. of the subject made by pupils and followers of the artist. Probably made for the French king Louis XII , the painting had an adventurous destiny. Survived the English revolutions of the seventeenth century, over the decades it deteriorated and lost the attribution to Leonardo. Probably sold at a Sotheby's auction in London in 1958, it resurfaced in 2005 in Louisiana and, bought for $ 10,000, underwent a restoration that left everyone stunned. It is the birth of a new myth in recent artistic history: the table, re-attributed to Leonardo, passes between the hands of a rampant Swiss businessman and a famous Russian oligarch, becoming the center of an intriguing spy story. After the auction record , it seems to have taken the road to Saudi Arabia, but its traces are lost. While the attribution to Leonardo is questioned more than ever, the latest rumors about its actual location are becoming more and more vague.

Regarding the production of copies and his new Salvator Mundi in a slightly modified format, Ceylan states: “Re-creating another Salvator Mundi gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in the technical qualities and spiritual layers of this controversial painting. It wasn't easy. This way of painting gave me the opportunity to get closer to the Renaissance era ”. And when asked what he thinks about the controversies about the work, Ceylan replies: “I am aware of the controversies surrounding this painting. It can be an original or not. In my opinion, some parts, such as the hands and the curls of the hair, could perhaps have been made by Leonardo. The glass sphere is also an extraordinary idea for that period. And obviously the hammer price of the work is insane. After this, it is no longer about art that we discuss when we look at art . However, in my case, the idea of making this painting public and visible to all, as well as what its owner chooses to do, was also the main push to create it ”.