World’s largest canvas painting by Sacha Jafri sold in Dubai for $62m

Dubai-based artist Sacha Jafri has sold his 17,000-square-foot painting for Dhs227,757,000 ($62m), more than double what the artist had initially hoped to raise by way of its sale. Proceeds from the sale will be made to several charities including Dubai Cares, UNICEF, UNESCO, and the Global Gift Foundation.

The painting titled ‘The Journey of Humanity‘ was purchased by Andre Abdoune at a charity auction that took place at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai on March 22, 2021.

Originally, it was meant to be sectioned into 70 pieces and auctioned throughout 2021, but Abdoune has now purchased it entirely.

“When I was a child, I had nothing to eat. Now I have something to eat. It was my dream in my life to do something amazing for my children, for my father. I talked with Sacha and I discovered the investment and love he put into this painting was so amazing. All my life I was aiming to help children. Every dollar can mean something. If we do it together, we give hope to these children and their future,” said Abdoune.

The painting which was created within the ballroom of the Atlantis over a seven-month period last year recently bagged the Guinness World Record for the the largest art canvas in the world.

The Journey of Humanity is part of Sacha Jafri’s charitable initiative Humanity Inspired that was launched in 2020 under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, in partnership with Dubai Cares and Atlantis, The Palm.

“As an artist and a humanitarian for more than 25 years, this is a moment in my life; this is a moment for humanity. At the beginning of my Humanity Inspired initiative, I had a vision to reconnect our broken planet through the hearts, minds and souls of the children of the world. We have come one step closer to achieving this, thanks to Andre,” said Jafri.

Dubai Cares will route the funds raised during the historical auction to Humanity Inspired’s beneficiary partners including UNICEF, UNESCO, The Global Gift Foundation and Dubai Cares for different programmes aimed at addressing issues related to children’s digital access to connectivity and learning, as well as healthcare and sanitation.

Select pieces from the record-breaking artwork are displayed at the Leila Heller Gallery, the largest in the UAE, located at the Alserkal Avenue, Dubai.

Apart from the main painting, two other collector pieces were also sold during the auction including the Brushes Piece – an artwork created by Jafri of the original brushes used in the creation of the record-breaking masterpiece as well as a framed piece, Clothing Worn by the Artist featuring the clothing Jari wore when creating the artwork.