79
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Film ThreatBobby LePireFilm ThreatBobby LePireThe Lost Leonardo tells the tale of the most scrutinized painting of all time in fascinating, exhaustive detail.
- 90VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanThe Lost Leonardo is the first art-world documentary I’ve seen that captures what art becomes once it goes through the looking glass of greed: not just a commodity, but a way of transferring and manipulating power. It’s enough to make the Mona Lisa stop smiling.
- 90Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganScreen DailyFionnuala HalliganThe Lost Leonardo is one of those rare documentaries in which almost everyone involved volunteers their loose-lipped testimony, seemingly unconcerned as to the dubious light in which it may place them, and Koefoed turns it in at a snappy 96 minutes with all the bells and whistles of a doc crowd-pleaser.
- The ultimate strength of The Lost Leonardo is its inspection of how society reveres and seeks out capital, the real driving force behind the pushes and pulls acted upon the Salvator Mundi.
- 83The Film StageArtemis LinThe Film StageArtemis LinAs thrilling and fun to watch as any fictional crime narrative, The Lost Leonardo is also a straightforward and unflinching indictment of the way power is brokered in our modern-day society—behind the scenes, out of reach, under the veneer of beauty and esteem.
- 83The PlaylistAsher LubertoThe PlaylistAsher LubertoThere’s an enigma here. If we believe anyone in The Lost Leonardo, we believe someone who is only here to cover their tracks. Koefoed knows this and plays up the mystery with compelling results.
- 80The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyIt’s a dizzying tale. And whether or not you believe “Salvator Mundi” to be a real Leonardo, it’s ultimately a disgusting one.
- 80Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerAs this film amply demonstrates, in the highest realms of commerce, wielding power is paramount.
- 67IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichIf this arresting documentary is too agog at its own story to intricately reckon with how 21st century geopolitics and technology have further perverted the relationship between art and commerce — if it stops short of a post-credits scene where Samuel L. Jackson shows up to threaten us with the imminent rise of NFTs — the film nevertheless makes a strong case that some art is truly timeless.
- 63Slant MagazineChris BarsantiSlant MagazineChris BarsantiThe Lost Leonardo deals less with absolutes than fungible notions of perception and power.