A Cryptocurrency Entrepreneur Just Bought the World’s Largest Painting, by Artist Sacha Jafri, for a Whopping $62 Million

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Last fall, Sacha Jafri set a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest painting, titled The Journey of Humanity. Now, he’s sold it at auction for an equally large price: $62 million. The figure makes him the fourth-most expensive living artist—behind Jeff Koons, David Hockney, and digital artist Beeple.

The proceeds of the sale of the painting, which approaches Beeple’s headline-making $69 million NFT sale from earlier this month, are set to benefit Dubai Cares, Unicef, UNESCO, and the Global Gift Foundation.

More: Instagram h/t: artnet

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Painting the piece, which measures 17,000 square feet—covering an area roughly equal to six tennis courts, four basketball courts, or two football fields—took Jafri eight months, sometimes working 20 hours a day at the Atlantis, the Palm hotel in Dubai, while it was in lockdown.

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This painting is inspired by children’s artwork, with Jafri soliciting drawings from kids around the world about their experiences during the pandemic. The 44-year-old artist got submissions from over 140 countries, addressing themes of both isolation and connection.

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It was also physically demanding work, with the artist constantly bending over to paint on the floor of the hotel ballroom. Jafri injured his pelvis and feet, and had to have emergency spine surgery. Still, he persisted, with the ultimate goal of raising $30 million for charity.

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Jafri more than doubled that total thanks to the buyer, Abdoune, the chief executive of Altius Gestion International Holding. At the Sotheby’s auction held at the Palm, he agreed to purchase the entire piece, which Jafri had originally planned to sell in 70 smaller sections across four auctions.