When children in more than 140 countries mailed their drawings to a hotel ballroom in Dubai, they were told the artwork would help fund their education and health care.

In 2021, British artist Sacha Jafri auctioned what was then the world's largest canvas painting, The Journey of Humanity, for $62 million in support of children's charities. Painted on the ballroom floor of the Atlantis hotel over seven months of the pandemic, the canvas was split into 70 lots for sale. They were all bought together by André Abdoune, a French national living in Dubai who runs a cryptocurrency business.

Jafri's team had asked children around the world to send paintings about isolation and connection, which were printed and layered onto the canvas as the foundation of the composition. He worked on the piece over seven months in 2020, and Guinness World Records certified it as the largest art canvas ever made. Jafri's original aim had been to raise $30 million by selling sections of the 1,800-square-metre surface, but Abdoune bid for the entire work. The final figure ranked as the third-highest price ever paid for a work by a living artist.

The Journey of Humanity is a monumental abstract expressionist masterpiece created by contemporary British artist Sacha Jafri, officially recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest art canvas painting ever produced. Spanning over 17,000 square feet (roughly 1,600 square meters), this massive visual labyrinth was meticulously painted over a grueling seven-month period during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic inside the ballroom of the Atlantis, The Palm hotel in Dubai. Rooted in the artist's thematic focus on human reconnection, spiritual empathy, and child welfare, the vibrant composition features layers of dynamic splatters, chaotic swirls, and energetic line work integrated with artwork contributed by children from around the globe. The masterpiece achieved profound global acclaim when it was auctioned off as a single massive installation for a staggering $62 million, with all the proceeds designated to support prominent international charities including UNICEF, UNESCO, and Dubai Cares to provide critical healthcare and educational funding for underserved youth worldwide. — British artist Sacha Jafri stands amidst his record-breaking canvas artwork in Dubai. Sacha Jafri/Getty Images

Proceeds were supposed to be split between UNICEF, UNESCO, and the Global Gift Foundation, but over five years later, the money has still not been disbursed.

Not a cent.

Dubai Cares, the UAE-based organization responsible for receiving and distributing the funds, filed a legal case against Abdoune in 2022 for failing to deliver on his promised payment, as first reported by Fence Magazine. Initially, the organization also accused Jafri of unlawfully seizing the painting and exploiting the charity, but a judge dismissed those claims. Abdoune was reportedly ordered to pay the charity the money owed. The case remains ongoing.

UNICEF confirmed to the Times it had not received any money to date, while UNESCO said it had been gifted $1.9 million from Dubai Cares in 2022, with "no indication of whether or not this donation was made possible directly by the charity auction." Abdoune did not respond to requests for comment.

Jafri, for his part, has denied any wrongdoing. "My role in this was as the artist," he told the Times. "I created The Journey of Humanity and gave it for a charity auction in good faith and for the causes it was meant to support." He counts among his collectors Madonna, George Clooney, and Bill Gates. King Charles commissioned him to paint portraits of the 14 most influential living Muslims for the Mosaic initiative.

The Journey of Humanity, a monumental masterpiece created by contemporary British artist Sacha Jafri, officially holds the Guinness World Record for the world's largest art canvas. Stretching across 1,595.76 square meters (approximately 17,176 square feet), this exceptionally colorful, kaleidoscopic abstract installation was painted over a grueling seven-month period in the grand ballroom of the Atlantis The Palm hotel in Dubai during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The deeply layers-rich composition seamlessly integrates lyrical abstract elements with hundreds of drawings submitted digitally by children worldwide, reflecting their shared pandemic experiences of isolation and hope. Intended to spark a global humanitarian movement, the giant canvas was partitioned into 70 individual framed panels, all of which were purchased as a single collection for a historic $62 million at a charity auction in March 2021 by cryptocurrency entrepreneur Andre Abdoune. True to the spirit of the project, 100% of the proceeds were directed to charitable organizations—including UNICEF, UNESCO, and Dubai Cares—to support vital health, education, and digital connectivity initiatives for underserved children globally. — A visitor walks past the vibrant, floor-to-ceiling framed segments of the record-breaking artwork on display in Dubai. François Nel/Getty Images

Sotheby's was originally set to stage the auction at Atlantis, but the house pulled out at the eleventh hour. Its logo, printed on all the save-the-dates, reportedly remained visible throughout the sale. Celebrity endorsements from Deepak Chopra, Eva Longoria, and Huda Kattan accompanied the event. One art collector in Dubai quipped the morning after: "It's all money-laundering."

Beyond failing to pay, Abdoune has also come up short on his promise to build a museum in Dubai on government-provided land to display the painting. Its current location is unknown. So is any timeline for resolution.

What remains certain is simpler and harder to sit with. Thousands of kids drew pictures about how they felt during a pandemic. Those drawings were folded into a record-breaking canvas. Proceeds were meant to fund children's education, health care, sanitation, and digital connectivity. Five years on, the promises attached to their art are stuck in a courtroom, and the organizations named as beneficiaries are still waiting.

Sacha Jafri

A $62 Million Painting Was Supposed to Feed and School Children. The Charities Say They Never Got a Cent.