Bin Salman identified by US intelligence
Nothing says cracking down on government waste and corruption like dropping a half-billion dollars on a Da Vinci painting.
The WSJ reports, citing a U.S. government intelligence and a Saudi art-world figure familiar with the purchase, that Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman was the purchaser.
"The image of the crown prince spending that much money to buy a painting when he's supposed to be leading an anticorruption drive is staggering," said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer and leading expert on Saudi politics.