At a charity auction in Dubai this Monday, March 22, 2021, British artist Sacha Jafri's work was auctioned as the world's largest painting on canvas. As The Guardian noted, the size of the image is comparable to nearly four NBA basketball fields. It was divided into 70 framed pieces.
Sacha Jafri planned to auction the pieces separately, hoping to get a total of $30 million for them. As a result, all 70 parts were bought by one person, Dubai businessman Andre Abdoune, who offered twice the expected price of $62 million. It made the 44-year-old artist one of the most expensive modern painters in the world.
According to CNN, the British painter will transfer profits from the auction to UNICEF, UNESCO, the Global Gift Foundation, and Dubai Care for programs related to children's education, health, and digital connectivity.
Guinness Book of Records
The painting "The Journey of Humanity" is the largest globally and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The artist created it in the Atlantis The Palm Hotel's ballroom in Dubai, where Jafri lives. Due to increased measures to limit the coronavirus's spread, the United Arab Emirates preceded new travel regulations, and the artist was "stuck" in Dubai for longer than planned. This situation inspired him to create something unique, meaningful for everyone.
That's how the idea of painting "The Journey of Humanity" came about. Work on the painting lasted seven months.
Children's drawings
The canvas is also adorned with the work of children who have sent their art online from 140 countries worldwide. Jafri hopes that his painting will inspire the continuation and development of the humanitarian movement to help children.
Because the COVID-19 pandemic situation and the continuous quarantine situation have a much more severe impact on them than on adults: it is more difficult for a child to cope with the difficulties and fears caused by the pandemic situation. They need more support and help.
Sacha Jafri conventionally divides his work into four components.
The central place is occupied by representing the soul of the Earth, and the other three parts characterize nature, humanity, and the universe as a whole.
Buyer of the painting
Businessman André Abdoun, who bought all the parts of The Journey of Humanity, is a French citizen living in Dubai. He told CNN that he comes from a low-income family and knows firsthand what it's like to have no food in the house. Now the world pandemic has become a heavy toll on children around the world.
When he saw this painting, he noticed how strong and powerful it painted. There are depth and an inexplicable attraction. But only when one considers the whole picture holistically, all the pieces together. Abdoun could not divide it up and take only some of the canvas, so he bought the entire painting. In doing so, he contributed to helping the children.
