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Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
What do Gulf royals really own? A $450M Da Vinci, gold jets, super yachts, islands and more
A glimpse into the opulent world of Gulf royals, where gold jets and priceless art are just the beginning / Image Composite : Wikipedia TL;DR Gulf royals own record-breaking treasures like Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi and $500 million yachts. Their collections span priceless art, private islands, million-dollar falcons, and gold-plated jets. These possessions aren't just about showing off wealth, they carry deep meaning tied to status, heritage, and power. When you think about wealth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman, it's on a scale that's hard to imagine. The region's oil wealth laid the groundwork decades ago. But since then, royal families have grown their fortunes far beyond oil, through global investments, real estate, art, and unique collectibles. But it's not just about having expensive things. Many of these possessions symbolize something bigger, tradition, influence, pride, and power. Whether it's a half-billion-dollar painting or a private jet with gold fixtures, these items blend culture with personal luxury in ways few can match. Here's a look at some of the most impressive, surprising, and symbolic possessions owned by GCC royals. 1. The $450 Million Painting That Stays Hidden In 2017, Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci sold for $450.3 million, setting a world record for a painting. While the buyer wasn't officially confirmed, multiple sources including The New York Times and The Guardian point to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). What makes this story even more fascinating? The painting hasn't been shown publicly since. It's rumored to be kept on MBS's giant superyacht Serene, somewhere out at sea. 2. The $500 Million Superyacht With a Submarine Speaking of Serene, this 439-foot yacht is more than a luxury vessel. It features two helipads (one converts into a pool), an indoor seawater swimming pool, a snow room (yes, real snow!), and even a mini-submarine. Originally built by Italy's Fincantieri and once owned by a Russian billionaire, the yacht was bought by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in 2015. It perfectly combines comfort, security, and style. 3. Private Jets Fit for a King Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai's ruler, is well-known for his love of aviation. His private jets are legendary, fitted with gold-plated sinks, marble floors, and lounges that feel more like five-star hotel suites than aircraft. The Qatari royal family also has a dedicated fleet, Qatar Amiri Flight, with custom Boeing 747s and Airbus A340s tailored to their taste and comfort. 4. Watches Worth More Than Most Homes In 2019, a unique Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime sold for over $31 million. While the buyer stayed anonymous, insiders say it likely belongs to a royal from Qatar or the UAE. These families also collect rare models from Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille, and custom Rolexes that most of us will never see in stores. 5. Cars Like You've Never Seen Before Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan from Abu Dhabi, nicknamed the 'Rainbow Sheikh,' owns a collection of more than 700 cars. Many are on display at his private Emirates National Auto Museum. One of his most famous vehicles is a massive, drivable Dodge Power Wagon, 64 times bigger than the original. Meanwhile, Saudi royals are known to cruise in gold-wrapped Lamborghinis, Bugattis, and Ferraris, especially during summer trips to London, Paris, and Monaco. 6. Private Islands Scattered Around the Globe Owning palaces is expected. But some GCC royals go a step further and own entire islands. Qatar's Al Thani family reportedly holds islands in the Maldives, Seychelles, and Greece, including the well-known Oxia island. Dubai's royal family has exclusive villas on Palm Jumeirah and hidden homes on the World Islands, some so secret they don't even appear on public maps. 7. Falcons That Fly First Class Falconry isn't just a sport in the Gulf, it's a powerful cultural tradition and status symbol. Falcons owned by royals can be worth over $1 million each. These birds travel with their own passports and health certificates, often flying business class. Viral photos show falcons comfortably settled on Qatar Airways or Etihad flights, treated like true VIPs. 8. Racing Stables That Compete Worldwide Dubai's Godolphin stable, owned by Sheikh Mohammed, is one of the most successful horse racing teams in the world. It boasts hundreds of thoroughbreds and competes in top international events like the Dubai World Cup and Royal Ascot. For Gulf royals, horse racing connects modern sport with centuries-old desert traditions. 9. Jewelry and Thrones Hidden From the Public Eye GCC royals are major clients of top jewelers from Paris, London, and Geneva. Many jewelry pieces are custom-made and never publicly shown. Reports mention thrones decorated with gold, ivory, and rare gems, crafted for private palace rooms. One Qatari princess is said to own a golden throne inspired by the Queen of Sheba, created by a renowned French design house. 10. Why These Possessions Matter Beyond Wealth This isn't just about showing off. These assets have deep meanings, about identity, history, and leadership. A prized falcon, a grand painting, or a private island can symbolize centuries of culture and power. Many royal families use their wealth to support museums and cultural projects like the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Qatar Museums, building a legacy that goes beyond money. FAQs 1. Who owns the world's most expensive painting, Salvator Mundi? Though the buyer hasn't been officially named, most reports link it to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It's thought to be kept on his superyacht Serene. 2. Do Gulf royals really have gold-plated private jets? Yes. UAE's Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Qatar's royal family have private jets featuring gold sinks, marble bathrooms, and lavish lounges. 3. Why do Gulf royals invest so much in falcons and exotic cars? Falconry and luxury cars represent heritage, prestige, and personal passion. They blend cultural tradition with status symbols.
India.com
20-06-2025
- Science
- India.com
This is most expensive substance in Universe, even one gram costs Rs 5270000000000000, it is..., can be used for…
To poets, philosophers, and hopeless romantics, love might be seen as the most precious thing in the world. But when it comes to tangible creations, the ultra-rich set their sights on rare and extravagant possessions—think Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi or the one-of-a-kind Bugatti La Voiture Noire. However, the most expensive material on Earth is not gold, diamonds, or the latest crypto coin backed by billionaires. It is something much more mysterious—and much more precious. This is most expensive substance in Universe, even one gram costs Rs 5270000000000000! To put things into better perspective, just one gram of this rare material could buy every lifestyle yacht, mansion, and private island in the world—and even give you enough change to fund your space program. The $400 million Boeing 747 private jet, recently gifted to the U.S. by the Qatari royal family, grabbed global attention for its sheer luxury and jaw-dropping value. But to truly grasp the worth of the most expensive substance on Earth, consider this: just one gram of it is enough to buy 155,000 of those ultra-luxurious jets—and still have money to spare. So what it is? Any guesses? What is Antimatter? The answer? Antimatter—a material that you can find as an actual part of physics, a fancy book from particle physics labs, or a thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is commonly described as the mirror or the 'evil twin' of regular matter. For every particle that one knows about, such as a proton or electron, antimatter has its counterpart that has the same mass but opposite electric charge. And what happens when matter and antimatter meet? They annihilate each other in a burst of energy that is sufficiently powerfultant to easily outrun a supernova. The downside? Antimatter is incredibly hard to make—and even harder to store! Scientists have the capability to make it in facilities like CERN's Large Hadron Collider, but only in minuscule quantities, and at a massive energy and time expenditure. So far, only a handful of nanograms have ever been made, and none have lasted long enough to seriously consider actually opening up a bank account, much less sit down with a financial advisor. So, why bother with something that is so hard to pinpoint? Antimatter could eventually change the future of energy and space travel. In theory, just one gram of antimatter could produce the same energy equivalent of a nuclear bomb without the prolonged radioactive fallout. The potential is great, but the task is enormous. Until scientists figure out how to contain it safely and make it economically viable it will remain less a source of power and more a science fiction possibility – shimmering just beyond the portal of possibility. Antimatter has an estimated price of around $62 trillion per gram—that's 62 lakh crore dollars for a minuscule amount of substance. Antimatter is now a more valuable substance than the total combined wealth of most continents, and that makes it the most expensive material ever known to existence.
Irish Examiner
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Experiencing the light-filled landscapes of Provence that inspired Cézanne's works
It is quite astonishing to realise that a painting few people wanted to buy a little over a century ago is now worth a quarter of a billion dollars. Paul Cézanne's The Card Players became the most expensive piece of art in the world in 2011 when it was bought by the Qatar royal family for $250m. It has since been overtaken by two other masterpieces, Willem de Kooning's Interchange for $300m in 2015 and Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi for $450m in 2017. But that hardly diminishes the magnitude of what The Card Players achieved — a painting from 1890-'92 of two of Cézanne's humble estate workers playing at a table in a dark room. Cézanne, along with other contemporary impressionist and post-impressionist artists like Vincent Van Gogh, was not appreciated in his time. But unlike the Dutch genius, Cézanne did not die in poverty. His father, Louis-Auguste, was a successful banker who gave his son an allowance enabling him to follow his dream of becoming a painter. And he and his two sisters, Marie and Rose, inherited the family estate, Jas de Bouffan. But despite producing countless paintings of the surrounding countryside, he was never accepted in his hometown of Aix-en-Provence which refused to exhibit his work. Now a further ignominy has been discovered. Jas de Bouffan, where he lived for 40 years, is currently being restored for its first ever public opening which will coincide with a landmark exhibition of his work, Cézanne at Jas de Bouffan, from June 28 to October 12. Cézanne Paul (1839-1906). États-Unis, Chicago (IL), The Art Institute of Chicago. 1942.457. During the renovation, workers discovered an unknown painting on an inside wall of the house — under a layer of white paint. Someone who owned the beautiful period home after Cézanne's time was so unimpressed by the fresco they simply painted over it. Initial signs suggest it is a scene of boats on a river and it is now being restored. The grand salon of the house was once covered in Cézanne's frescos. But when the artist started to become recognised years after his death the paintings on plaster were cut from the walls, put in frames and sold around the world. We are on a tour of the estate and work is still busily going on for the grand opening. Piles of calade, large pebbles native to Provence, are ready for cobblestone-style groundwork, ditches are dug for power cables, and a large reservoir, which looks like a swimming pool, is to be cleaned. A beautiful alley of trees is much like it appeared in Cézanne's The Allée of Chestmut Trees at the Jas de Bouffan. The estate, once in the countryside, is now surrounded by urban development. Mont Sainte-Victoire, Cézanne's beloved mountain which he painted no fewer than 77 times, and which was once clearly visible from the property, is now hidden from view. We are lucky to be the first recent visitors to the estate — it used to be by appointment only — which was taken over by the local authority in 1994. From this summer, admirers of the artist will be able to walk in his footsteps and stand where he painted many of his works in an upstairs studio his father built for him, lit by a large skylight. It was here, surrounded by 15 hectares of vineyards and orchards, that he produced his still lifes, portraits, and self-portraits, many of which will feature in the exhibition in the local Musée Granet. The Card Players was one of a series of five painted here in the 1890s. During the renovation of Jas de Bouffan, workers discovered an unknown painting on an inside wall of the house — under a layer of white paint. Someone who owned the beautiful period home after Cézanne's time was so unimpressed by the fresco they simply painted over it. Initial signs suggest it is a scene of boats on a river and it is now being restored. The ground floor and an upstairs room are being prepared for the opening but others will not be finished until next year. Visitors will also be able to visit the studio he built, the 'Atelier des Lauves', after being forced to sell Jas de Bouffan in 1899 to give his sisters their share of their father's inheritance. The artist produced his final paintings here from 1902 to his death in 1906, working daily in a room flooded with light. The studio on Lauves Hill overlooking Aix is being restored and will contain many of his possessions, a permanent legacy of Cézanne 2025. Cézanne adored the light of Provence and once said: 'When you're born there, it's hopeless, nothing else is good enough.' We experience that light ourselves when we tour the abandoned Bibémus quarries where the painter did countless landscapes with the giant sandstone rocks and Mont Sainte-Victoire in the background. A new public trail will be opened leading to the quarries to the east of the city. Replicas of his work are embedded in places he loved, particularly on the Terrain des Peintres, a terrace near his studio where there are nine copies on enamalled plates. You can follow his development through the decades, from his early impressionist paintings to the cubism and abstraction of his latter days, a development that inspired Picasso to call him 'the father of us all'. Visitors will also be able to visit the studio he built, the 'Atelier des Lauves', after being forced to sell Jas de Bouffan in 1899 to give his sisters their share of their father's inheritance. Art and Provence are eternally linked and visitors seeking more cultural enlightenment should make their way to the amazing Chateau La Coste, owned by Irish hotelier and developer Paddy McKillen. It's a working biodynamic vineyard featuring huge art installations by the likes of Damien Hirst and Irish artist Sean Scully, and by famed architects like Tadao Ando from Japan and Brazil's Oscar Niemeyer. Bono's pal, Guggi, features with a giant bronze chalice along with works by Tracey Emin, Yoko Ono, REM's Michael Stipe and many more. We walk through long rows of grapes to reach Bob Dylan's Rail Car, a real American box car set on rail tracks. Once used to transport paper rolls by an Oregon lumber company, its cover has been replaced by a maze of sculptured iron. Dylan said the sight and sound of freight trains was part of his childhood. A short time later we bump into Paddy McKillen's sister Maire, who tells us it was she who originally found the vineyard for her brother in 2002. The Belfast-born chef had settled in Aix because of the quality and range of its foods and herbs and Paddy fell in love with the area while visiting. He asked her to find him a farm. Writer Jim Gallagher with a statue of Paul Cezanna. 'I knew he was serious because he's a real visionary,' says Maire, who retains her soft Belfast accent after decades in France. 'Once I found it, he said, 'this place is too beautiful to keep for ourselves'. 'He loves art and the artistic process and he began to invite people down, people he knew or people whose work he liked like architect Richard Rogers. 'They came because of their love of Provence — and Provence is why we are still here.' Rogers went on to design a spectacular 120m long gallery on a hillside overlooking the chateau and surrounding landscape. Beginning with just a cafe, the estate now has a five-star hotel, a four-star hotel, six restaurants, and the vineyard produces up to 900,000 bottles of wine a year, mostly rosé. The final stop on our Cézanne-inspired art tour is the Gallifet Art Centre in Aix, which specialises in the work of young up-and-coming artists. Nicolas Mazet opened the gallery in his 19th- century home in 2010 and says they show the work of young artists inspired by Cézanne's never-give-up attitude. Cézanne 2025 is a fitting tribute to a painter whose work was forward-looking yet rooted in tradition. The reopening of his house and studio simply give us two more excuses to visit the fabled region and explore the enduring beauty of luminous Aix-en-Provence. Jim was a guest of Aix-en-Provence tourism. Provencal landscape, France, showing Mont Ste Victoire, from the same spot in Aix-en-Provence where Cezanne painted the same landscape as it was in the 19th century. ESCAPE NOTES For more information on the Cézanne celebrations see For more information on visiting Aix and Provence see and Where to stay If you're staying in Aix, a comfortable base is the four-star Hotel Aquabella which has a large outdoor pool, a smaller inside pool and spa with sauna and steam rooms. Its L'Orangerie restaurant serves up a lovely prawn linguine which ticks all my boxes. Where to eat In the city centre, a good place to eat and watch the world go by is the lively terrace of Le Mirabeau, which has very friendly staff. For dinner, the rooftop terrace of La Fromagerie du Passage specialises in cheese dishes. If you want to spoil yourself, try lunch in the beautiful L'Atelier des Lodges, which has a terrace with a spectacular view of Mont Sainte-Victoire. Or try the luxurious Villa Gallici, a five-star Relais & Chateaux hotel based in an 18th-century mansion which won a recent Cézanne menu competition to reinterpret Provencal cuisine. La Taula, its gourmet restaurant, is a haven of style and tranquility overlooking one of the hotel's pools. Artistic inspiration The sculpture park and organic winery at Chateau La Coste is open seven days a week from 10am – 7pm. The walking trail through the 600-acre park is €15. Six restaurants have various opening times. Gallifet Art centre is currently open from noon to 6pm, Wednesday to Saturday, price €6. From June 1, it is open every day except Monday during the summer months. There is also a restaurant, shop and apartment to rent.
Times
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Want to buy a Picasso? Just swipe right on the Tinder for art
As collectors and aficionados perused the offerings at Frieze New York last week, they formed a who's who of the art world. Notably absent, however, was one of America's most successful private auctioneers. 'I'm not in the nitty-gritty — I don't go to the shows, I don't know who is hot. I'm not in the conversation,' Loïc Gouzer says. 'There's a lot of chat and I'm just not into it.' Gouzer, the 44-year-old Swiss-born former head of contemporary art at Christie's and the man responsible for the sale of the most expensive artwork in history — Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi, which sold for $450 million in 2017 — was too busy preparing the lot of a late-era Picasso for a select group of
The Guardian
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Existential encounters, a birthday bash and forensic feminism – the week in art
Encounters: Giacometti – Huma Bhabha A season of sculptural 'encounters' with Giacometti's primal, existentialist figures kicks off with this Pakistani-American artist taking him on. Barbican, London, from 8 May to 10 August Austen and TurnerJane, meet JMW … this exhibition imagines a country house encounter between the two British greats who celebrate their 250th birthdays this year. Harewood House, Leeds, until 19 October Eric TuckerPaintings of working-class British life by the 'Secret Lowry' whose work is being taken seriously at last. Connaught Brown, London, until 30 May Helen ChadwickThe Artist Rooms collection presents this mini-survey of the brilliant feminist artist. Tate Modern, London, until 8 June AlariaA group show by Miriam Austin, Eiko Soga and Esther Teichmann with landscape as its theme. Gerald Moore Gallery, London, until 24 May Twenty paintings by the Caribbean British abstract painter Winston Branch have been recovered after they disappeared without trace nearly five decades ago. Read the full story. Tate Modern transformed art in the UK Ian Hamilton Finlay was an idiot Artists have a long tradition of painting each other Utagawa Hiroshige's work birthed a new way to capture everyday joy Five UK museums are to compete for a huge prize Korean conceptualist Do Ho Suh brought his homes to life Jeremy Deller created a 'speculative [Roman] mosaic' for Scarborough's art trail New play Port Talbot Gotta Banksy explores the impact of his visit to south Wales Salvator Mundi by Andrea Previtali, 1519This painting of Christ as a mystical figure looking straight at you, holding up a crystal orb in one hand and giving a blessing with the other, has the same composition as the version of the same theme sold as a Leonardo da Vinci at a record price – but they don't seem to be connected. Previtali makes no attempt to emulate Leonardo's style. In fact this north Italian artist paints in a crisp, realistic way that's the opposite of Leonardesque. Christ's round face is very different from the Leonardo Salvator Mundi. His tunic is different, too. Rather than imitating Leonardo, it seems Previtali draws on the same inspirations. The Salvator Mundi icon was invented by Flemish artists in the 15th century. It seems this painting is influenced by those north European paintings. Which leads us to ask – why would an artist as great as Leonardo do the same, and copy Flemish art? National Gallery, London If you don't already receive our regular roundup of art and design news via email, please sign up here. If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@
