The most expensive painting ever sold publicly is Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece Salvator Mundi, which achieved a historic $450.3 million at a Christie's auction in New York. Following its high-profile acquisition, investigative reporting and art market tracking indicated that the painting was purchased by Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud, acting on behalf of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi for exhibition purposes. While various ultra-high-value abstract expressionist canvases and post-impressionist works change hands privately among billionaires and sovereign wealth funds for estimated sums exceeding $200 million to $300 million—such as works by Willem de Kooning and Paul Gauguin—Salvator Mundi maintains its distinct status as the holder of the highest documented public transaction price in global art market history.