Qatar Breaks Guinness World Record for Largest Canvas Painting

On Wednesday, in the presence of several dignitaries and a representative of the Guinness Foundation, Minister of Culture HE Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al Thani officially unveiled the largest painting on canvas in the world, which was completed by artist Imad Salehi.

At the ceremony, the 9,652-square-meter piece, named "The Story of a Ball," was formally recognized as the largest painting in the world and entered the Guinness Book of Records.

The painting recalls the history of the game by telling the tale of a ball and describing the types of balls that were used, the nations that served as the tournament's hosts, the World Cup champions, and the top players and goal scorers from all prior World Cup competitions.

A tour was planned to allow attendees to get a closer look at the artistic painting painted on the canvas after a video describing the large artwork's phases of development was displayed during the opening ceremony. The Guinness Book of Records certificate was then presented in front of the media, officially recognizing the event's admission into the record book.

"The Ministry of Culture spares no effort to spotlight the works of creators and support notable works of art," the minister remarked at the time. He continued by saying that "the artwork represents the significant global event that Qatar is currently experiencing."

The head of Al-Faisal Holding's board of directors, Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, spoke at the ceremony and stated, "It is my delight to witness this significant cultural event and to be in "Al-Faisal Holding" among the supporters of this enormous artwork that was created by the artist Imad Salehi.

He continued "He discusses how closely art, culture, and sports relate to one another and how they may bring people together and closer in spite of their differences in origins and races. Additionally, I would want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Ministry of Culture for their outstanding efforts in encouraging artists to develop innovative concepts that will enhance Qatar's cultural and aesthetic landscape." At Qatar University, the world's largest canvas artwork is unveiled by the minister of culture.

Shaddy Gaad, senior marketing manager for Guinness World Records' Mena area, made the decision about the record.

Gaad stated: "Sasha Jaffrey set the previous record for the largest painting on canvas in 2020 with 1,595.76 square meters. The new record for the largest canvas painting is held by this picture, which has a surface area of 9,652 square meters.

Maryam Yassin al-Hammadi, director of the Department of Culture and Arts at the Ministry of Culture, stated "We salute the creative artist, Imad Salehi, and the Ministry of Culture is glad of the existence of competitive worldwide projects to which everyone contributes. Records that are directly or indirectly related to the culture have been established before. This album, which aspires to bring the globe together through art and sport, is released at the same time that Qatar is holding the World Cup."