Photo courtesy of the Global Gift Foundation
British artist Sacha Jafri spent seven months during the COVID-19 pandemic painting “The Journey of Humanity,” which holds the Guinness World Record for the largest art canvas.
But Jafri’s creation wasn’t just about big art. The masterpiece — an abstraction featuring drips, whorls and splatters that's more than 17,000 square feet, fetched a whopping $62 million for charity.
Sold during a live auction in March at Atlantis — The Palm in Dubai, “The Journey of Humanity” became the second most expensive painting ever sold by a living artist. Money raised from the painting went to the Global Gift Foundation, UNICEF, UNESCO and Dubai Cares for programs that empower women and children affected by COVID-19.
The Global Gift Foundation will use the money to support Harmony House in India, Eva Longoria Foundation, Global Gift Orphanage Quang Chau in Vietnam and its own Casa Global Gift Home in Spain, which offers treatments and therapies to children with special needs and rare diseases.
Originally sectioned into 70 lots, the entire painting was sold to Andre Abdoune, a French businessman and cryptocurrency entrepreneur.
“As an artist and a humanitarian for more than 25 years, this is a moment in my life; this is a moment for humanity,” Jafri said in a press release. “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.”
Visit globalgiftfoundation.org.