The world’s largest canvas painting has been sold at a Dubai auction for almost $62 million, making it the second most expensive painting sold at an auction by a living artist.
Have you ever thought, why people choose to buy art? Well, to answer that I would precisely say that every art collector has their own motivation or an emotional connection with the art. With that in mind, imagine if you could get inside an art collector’s mind. Now that you have entered an imaginary situation, what would compel you to buy the world’s largest canvas painting? While you are probably still thinking, let me tell you that a man named Andre Abdoune has already bought the world’s largest painting.
Yes! The world’s largest canvas painting has been sold at a Dubai auction for almost 228 million dirhams (i.e., $62 million), making it the second most expensive painting sold at an auction by a living artist. A British artist Sacha Jafri has pulled off one of the world’s largest artwork, The Journey of Humanity (2020).
The Journey of Humanity is split into 70 framed sections which in total is equal to nearly four basketball courts. Measuring over 17,000 square feet, “The Journey of Humanity” is officially certified by Guinness World Record for the largest art canvas. The painting was created by Sacha Jafri in response to the global pandemic. The British artist constructed the painting with the single goal to raise money for children affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than double:
The painting created by Sacha Jafri was originally cut out into 70 pieces and those 70 segments were planned to be sold out in around four auctions this year with the hopes of raising $30 million for charity. But the entire work was sold to Dubai-based businessman Andre Abdoune who offered more than double the price that was expected for the painting.
In a statement, Abdoune said that he is planning a “second step” for the painting, in order to raise even more money for charity, the purpose for which it was made. For now, he intends to leave the painting in Dubai itself.
The charity that the painting brought is set to benefit UNICEF, UNESCO, Global Gift Foundation, and Dubai Cares for programs related to children’s education, health care, sanitation, and digital connectivity.
The making:
Last year, when coronavirus arrived and forced everyone to be inside their homes, it was Sacha Jafri who got stuck in Dubai. During the time when everybody was trying to survive the lockdown, Jafri tried to create something that could inspire humanity. Jafri took around seven months to create the painting, the painting features abstract brushwork and drip-painting in the style which Jafri dubs as magical realism.
Firstly, he decided to sell the painting in 70 parts but then Andre Abdoune, a French cryptocurrency businessman decided to buy the whole work. Also, the price he offered makes the painting one of the most expensive paintings ever sold at auction by a living artist.