Alexandra Bregman

London, England, 2008. Some of the most distinguished experts on the work of Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) gather at the National Gallery to examine a painting known as Salvator Mundi; an event that turns out to be the first act of one of the most fascinating stories in the history of art.

When the Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier meets the Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev, he quickly rises through the ranks. From a role as a discreet adviser, he becomes a global power broker and manager of Rybolovlev’s investments in one of the world’s most closed and enigmatic markets: the part of the art world where the sums are staggering and the value of artworks is something agreed upon by a narrow elite of connoisseurs and ultrarich tycoons.