![Sacha Jafri works on ‘The Journey of Humanity’, the largest canvas in the world, on 9 September 2020 in Dubai [detail] Photo: Francois Nel / Getty Images](https://images.prismic.io/barnebys/f100db6b-294b-444d-8b78-c1d057217911_Cover.jpeg?auto=compress,format)
I wanted to create something poignant, something that would mean something.
The largest artwork in the world to date has sold for 228 million dirhams, or nearly $62 million (about £46 mil), during a charity auction in Dubai on 22 March 2021. The work, titled The Journey of Humanity, was created by the British artist Sacha Jafri and consists of 70 panels. It measures approximately 1,580 square meters, the equivalent of four NBA regulation basketball courts.
See also: The 10 Most Expensive Living Artists
Jafri created the work to raise money for vulnerable children. "I was stuck in Dubai and I wanted to create something poignant, something that would mean something,” he revealed to CNN last year, before completing the work. He worked on the piece from a Dubai hotel’s ballroom, where he was residing before restrictions were put in place to control the spread of COVID-19.
The Journey of Humanity took over 7 months to complete. The work features abstract brushstrokes and drop paint in a style that Jafri calls "magical realism". The canvas was divided into four connected segments, the first representing "the soul of the Earth" and the others with references to nature, humanity and the universe.
The painter, educated at the prestigious Eton College, whose alumni count Prince William, also invited children from all over the world to contribute works focusing on the themes of connection, separation and isolation during the pandemic. The children’s works were printed on paper and incorporated onto the huge canvas.
Jafri intended to sell the panels separately in hopes of making $30 million, but Dubai businessman André Abdoune stepped in, offering more than double to buy them all.
The sale of the work places Sacha Jafri among the most expensive living artists in the world. The $62 million raised by The Journey of Humanity is only beaten by the works of Jeff Koons, David Hockney and digital artist Beeple, whose NFT work Everydays: The First 5000 Days recently sold at Christie's for over $69 millions.
