Sacha Jafri’s “Journey of Humanity” Raises $ 62 Million at Dubai Charity Auction

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Written by Oscar Holland, CNN

The largest canvas in the world has been sold at auction in Dubai for nearly 228 million dirhams ($ 62 million), making it among the most expensive works of art in history.

Measuring more than 17,000 square feet, “The Journey of Humanity” is roughly equivalent in size to four NBA-regulated basketball courts.

The work was created by British painter Sacha Jafri in order to raise money for children affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

After cutting the work into 70 parts, Jafri initially intended to sell the panels separately in hopes of earning $ 30 million combined. But at a charity auction on Monday, Dubai-based businessman Andre Abdoune offered more than double that to buy them all.

Jafri portrayed with a section of

Jafri portrayed with a section of “The Journey of Humanity” at the Atlantis The Palm Hotel in Dubai. Credit: CNN

The sale puts Jafri’s name among the most expensive living artists in the world. The $ 62 million raised by “The Journey of Humanity” has only been surpassed in an auction by works by Jeff Koons, David Hockney and digital artist Beeple, whose image from NFT “Everydays: The First 5000 Days “was sold through Christie’s for more than $ 69 million earlier this month.

As part of Jafri’s humanity-inspired initiative, the proceeds from the auction will be donated to UNICEF, UNESCO, The Global Gift Foundation and Dubai Cares for programs related to early childhood education, health care, sanitation and digital connectivity. In a press release issued by Dubai Cares, Jafri described the sale as “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,” he says. “I feel in my heart that we have taken it one step further to get it tonight, thanks to Andre.”

Record feat

The work holds the Guinness World Record for the largest art canvas in the world. It was set up in a ballroom at Dubai’s Atlantis The Palm Hotel, where Jafri was headquartered when the UAE introduced closure measures to control the spread of Covid-19 last year.
“I got stuck in Dubai and wanted to create something poignant, something that meant something,” he told CNN last year, before completing the artwork. “Something that could make a big difference.”

Related video: Sacha Jafri talks to CNN when the painting was finished last year.

After seven months to complete, the painting features abstract brushstrokes and dripping paint in a style Jafri calls “magical realism.” The canvas was divided into four connected segments, with the first representing “the soul of the Earth” and the others alluding to nature, humanity, and the wider universe, Jafri said.

The painter, who trained at the elite British boarding school Eton alongside Prince William, had also asked children around the world to bring their own works of art focused on the themes of connection, separation and isolation during the pandemic. The shipments were printed on paper and incorporated into the huge canvas.

“I asked the children of the world to send in their artwork: how they feel now, their emotions,” he explained last year. “We, as adults, find it difficult. The last five months have seemed very difficult, very confusing, very frustrating and scary. But imagine how a 4-year-old feels.”

Sacha Jafri has christened his painting style

Sacha Jafri has christened his painting style as “magical realism”. Credit: CNN

Abdoune, the new owner of the artwork, said in a press release that the “investment and love” Jafri put into the painting was “so amazing.”

“My whole life was aimed at helping children,” he said. “When I was little, I had nothing to eat. Now I have something to eat. We all have to do something.”

Part of the artwork will be on display at Jafri’s professional retrospective, which is currently on display at the Leila Heller Gallery in Dubai.

Top image: Sacha Jafri at the opening of his exhibition at the Leila Heller Gallery in Dubai in February 2021.

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