Whoever says that 'big things come in small packages' certainly hasn't seen Sacha Jafri's jumbo-sized painting, "The Journey To Humanity". Spanning over 17,000 square feet, the colossal piece was sold at the hefty price of $62 million yesterday.
As one of the most preeminent artists of the times - having sold pieces to the likes of President Obama, Paul McCartney, and George Clooney - Jafri worked tirelessly on this painting for almost 8 months. What began with the artist putting out a request for children to send him hand-drawn pictures that depict how they've internalized the isolation of the pandemic turned into a rather existential, creative experience.
"I was in a deep meditative state. I looked through all the [children's] work - I paint from the subconscious, and then whatever's in there comes out," the Dubai-native artist explained to BBC, "I was literally pouring paint, and then putting another layer on top and another layer . . . feeling my way through it until something magical happened."
After months of endless painting, which ultimately lead to an intense spine injury that required surgery, the artwork was finally finished. Before it was unveiled in March, the painting was submitted to the Guinness World Records, marking "The Journey To Humanity" as the world's largest art piece known to man.
The piece was unveiled in February in the bathroom of a Dubai hotel with the intention of selling the piece in 70 separate framed sections. However, he was utterly shocked when French cryptocurrency tycoon and chief executive of Altius Gestion International Holding, Andre Abdoune, bought the piece in its entirety - coughing up more than double Jafri's estimated price! The $62 million purchase makes the painting the fourth most expensive art piece by a living artist, according to Artnet News. Jafri's astonishing accomplishment is only toped by Jeff Koons, David Hockney, and Beeple.
A staunch philanthropist, Jafri often donates the proceeds of his profits to charity. He's raised around $60 million for his community within his 20-year career, according to The National News. While he first planned to donate $30 million of his profit from "The Journey to Humanity", Abdoune's massive purchase was well reason to cajole the artist into giving even more. Dubai Cares, Unicef, and Global Gift Foundation - three organizations dedicated to bettering the lives of disenfranchised youth - all received generous donations from the acclaimed artist.
Sources: Arab News, BBC News, Artnet News, The National News