Nov 10, 2011
World’s most expensive photo just sold for $4.3 million
“Rhein II” by Andreas Gursky…
This photograph sold at Christie’s for $4,338,500 on Tuesday night during a “Post-War Contemporary Evening Sale.”
(via Geekosystem)
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Could someone who has a little more understanding of art than I explain this one to me? Why in the world would this photo be worth more than 5 bucks?!
I wondered also. A lot of parallel lines – yes. Drawing your eye somewhere – not that I see. Something provocative or deep – not as far as I can tell. I’d like a little more insight on it also.
How many people could you feed for the price of whatever that is…just think what it will be worth in a hundred years.
Maybe given that it’s a post-war contemporary sale, the site depicted has a meaning in terms of WWI or WWII? Perhaps Andreas Gursky is a big name in that particular field. Works are normally valued by the acclaim of their artist/photographer, and any significance they have contextually.
I wouldn’t be sure that this will be worth more in the future, that would depend on how acclaimed Andreas Gursky ends up being many years from now. If he becomes obscure or this was a flash in the pan, it could even lose value…
Here is the BS on why someone just paid that much for a picture of the Rhine river.
“Spanning the full width of the epic picture plane, the Rhine’s captivating, riverine landscape appears vibrant with bands of bright, emerald green grass and slivery water, the ripples across the surface of the river illuminated with brilliant, hyper-real detail. Above the straight course of the river lies an atmospheric, blue-grey sky, thick with dense clouds, which almost bisects the composition, presenting a distant, unobtainable horizon far beyond the lush riverbank. One of the most powerful and profound depictions ever to be created of the Rhine, the photograph’s unique scale draws an ineffable link to the actual natural landscape, inviting the viewer to cross over into its vivid picture plane.”
http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=5496716#features-audio
Ya, not feeling the invitation over here… This crappy photo doesn’t make me want to “cross over into it’s vivid picture plane”.
And if you look really really hard (the aid of a magnifying glass may be needed) you can see a UFO on the horizon. The photographer that took this picture was shortly thereafter abducted and experimented on, hence the profound value of his last photograph taken. Granted when they found him in a Mexican prison doped out of his mind on shrooms and LSD, the value instantly dropped to $5.00 much to the buyers chagrin.
Very confused as to why it is worth so much. If i didn’t know better, I would have thought it was an example of a beginner playing with their new camera.
Check out a painting that cost some lucky chap $43 million.
http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/roy-lichtenstein-i-can/5496706/lot/lot_details.aspx?pos=8&intObjectID=5496706&sid=
…and beating this Rembrandt by 10 million. Alright, I am done now.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/90873/6836625.html
Roy Lichtenstein is the BEST! He draws each individual dot by hand, creating the appearance of a comic book on a scale sometimes the size of a wall. You have to see one in person to get the full effect. They are stunning and I am not a comic book person.
Maybe if you stare into the water, an image resolves showing you where…ten million dollars is buried!
How drunk, or stoned would you have to be to see the “image?”
It’s a sailboat!
Sweet!! Now I got it on my computer screen for free. :)
I literally LOL’d
Actually, I would like you to send me at least $100 dollars for using the image on your computer.
(This seems equally absurd to the price tag)
I’m always amazed by the ability of artistic people to convince themselves that something is worth a lot more than it really is
HAHA!
Though you know….in 20-30 years that picture could be worth $10 million….not a bad investment…
Geez – my dad took a picture like this once, and couldn’t even get twenty bucks for it at a flea market. Musta been the wrong audience.
I really like it…. I think I’m the only person here though. And $4.3 mil seems kinda steep, I agree.
I don’t dislike it, Las. I just don’t like it $4.3 million’ worth.
hope the price included the negative… I think I’ll quit my day job and start taking pictures.
Checking up on the Christie’s page for it, it’s 6′ x 12′ in size. Which makes it much more impressive.
Though still not $4.3 million impressive.
As a photographer, I can vouch for the fact that this is a terrible photo.
As a photographer, I can vouch for the fact that I totally agree with you!
Why?? WTF??? Has this person never seen water before?
I have never taken a photo (deliberately) that is less interesting than that one. Not even with my cell phone, and it’s a fossil. EPIC FAIL to whoever bought this. I mean, I guess it might be a neat picture but it is not unique. It is very average, it doesn’t have a new viewpoint or something identifying about it, and it’s an image of one of the most boring locations along that river by the looks of it.
Lol. It’s also photoshopped. XD
Just someone with more MONEY than BRAINS, theta’s all….
P.T. Barnum was RIGHT !! There’s a sucker born every minute.
The description from the website focuses on nothing but the aesthetics of the photo. This specific photo, and the fact that it depicts one of the most storied rivers in western culture might give it meaning to certaina people well beyond what all of your uneducated eyes are capable of recognizing. It’s easy to sit behind a computer screen and say things like, “as a photographer, I can tell you this is an awful photo.” Well, guess what. Art photography isn’t just photography. If you own a Nikon D3X or whatever and you shoot weddings or nature photography, then you don’t belong in a conversation about art critique. There is more than meets the eye when one is discussing fine art.
well said. finally some sense in this comment stream.
Art, schmart! This marks the exact spot where Woglinde, Wellgunde, and Flosshilde are hiding the Rhinegold. It has no value in and of itself, but as an investment…well!!
And YEAH, as a plebeian who doesn’t get ‘art’, I misspelled Rheingold, maybe on purpose.
You’re pretty awesome, you know that?
You’re too late, Tony. I have been dressed down (in a broad, non-specific way) by the best. That art appreciation course I took in college was a sham. And calling me pretty is just flattery. But thanks for tryin’, man.
Right Click, Save Image, Print,..
Selling prints of the worlds most expensive photo for ONLY $1,000!
Cheap cheap!