The world’s largest canvas painting has been sold at a Dubai auction for £45m ($62m).
Entitled The Journey of Humanity, the piece was created by British artist Sacha Jafri last year, and is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest-ever painting.
Spanning over 17,000 square feet (17,176 to be exact), the work was created in Dubai during lockdown, and is spread over 70 framed sections.
In a statement, auction organisers said that the piece fetched almost double the target amount when it was sold to cryptocurrency entrepreneur Andre Abdoune.
Money from the sale is going to children’s charities.
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The Journey of Humanity had previously been displayed in the Atlantis: the Palm hotel’s ballroom, and was intended to be sold in segments.
Speaking to AFP, Abdoune, a former stock broker, said: “I come from a poor family, and I knew at times how it feels to have nothing to eat, but at least I had the love of my parents, schooling, and support.
“The painting was very powerful when I saw it, and, for me, it would have been a mistake to separate the pieces.”
The combined surface area of the painting’s segments has been compared to the floor-span of nearly four basketball courts.
The artwork includes contributions from children in more than 140 countries.
