The world’s largest painting, The Journey of Humanity, was auctioned in Dubai for a massive amount of $62 million.
Created by Sacha Jafri in 2020, The Journey of Humanity is a whopping 17,000 square feet large. The painting is an abstract work featuring whorls, drips and splatters of various colours and hues. The Guinness Book of World Records has certified the painting as the largest painting ever created. According to the UAE newspaper National, the buyer is Andre Abdoune. He is the CEO of Altius Gestion International Holding.
The huge price solicited by Jafri’s work is a welcome sign for the art industry. Since March last year, the art world has been severely affected by the pandemic. While most galleries were forced to shut down, artists too struggled to sell their works. The first pleasant surprise came earlier this month, when an NFT work by Beeple was sold for a record $69 million. With Jafris’ work that fetched $62 million soon after, it seems that the art industry is finally going back to normal.
Jafri’s initial plan for the painting was quite interesting. He wanted to slice the original painting into 60 segments and sell them across four auctions. He wanted to raise $30 million through this for his message of “global digital equality”. The proceeds from the auction would go towards a variety of organizations, including UNESCO, UNICEF, and Global Gift Foundation. Many of his previous works were also sold to raise funds for charitable causes. His past buyers include actress Eva Longoria and former US President Barack Obama.
