The new most expensive photograph in the world. The most expensive photographs in the world

The most expensive photographs always evoke curiosity and surprise. Some of them need to be seen in galleries, while the popularity of others is completely inexplicable. What makes buyers pay such sums for photos? See for yourself.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the 15 most expensive photographs in the world.

1. “Phantom” (2014) - $6.5 million.

Australian photographer Peter Lik broke all records last December - his black-and-white photograph entitled “Phantom” was bought for $6.5 million. The same private collector, who preferred to remain anonymous, acquired two more photographs that day - “Eternal Moods” and “Illusion”. total amount the purchase amounted to $10 million.

“The purpose of my photographs is to capture the power of nature,” says Leake. "Phantom" is a black and white version of the photo called "Ghost". It depicts Antelope Canyon (Arizona), and the “ghost” is dust swirling in a beam of light.

2. "Rhine II" (1999) - $4.3 million.

German photographer Andreas Gursky is famous for his large-format photographs of architecture and landscapes. In 1999, he took a series of six photographs of the Rhine, the largest and most famous of which was "Rhine II". “For me, this is an allegorical image of the meaning of life,” says the author. To achieve the impression of a desert landscape, he had to remove some elements from the image on the computer: the factory building, pedestrians, cyclists.

A 1.9 x 3.6 m chromogenic acrylic glass print (with a frame that increased the size of the artifact to 2.1 x 3.8 m) was sold at Christie's in 2011 for $4.3 million, buyer's identity unknown.

3. “Untitled No. 96” (1981) - $3.9 million.

The works of Cindy Sherman, famous for her provocative self-portraits, are very popular among collectors. She does not give titles to her photographs, leaving viewers the opportunity to figure out the story depicted themselves. “No. 96” is one of 12 photos in the Centerfold series, commissioned by ArtForum magazine. The heroine in the picture (of course, Sherman herself) is a teenage girl. She holds newspaper clippings of dating advertisements, symbolizing her willingness to leave childhood behind and her desire to find her man.

At one time, “No. 96,” sold at Christie’s for $3.9 million, was the most expensive photograph in the world.

4. “Dead Soldiers Conversation” (1992) - $3.6 million.

Photographer - Jeff Wall

The subtitle explains the story depicted in the photo - "The Vision After the Ambush of the Patrol Soviet army near Mokor, Afghanistan, winter 1986." However, this is not a real-life photograph: Canadian photographer Jeff Wall (whom Andreas Gursky cited as his role model) was not in Afghanistan. The photo was created in a studio, the people in it are actors. "'Conversation of Dead Soldiers' is not a commentary on Afghan war, says the author. - I just wanted to create an image in which dead soldiers talking to each other, I have no idea why.”

In 2012, again at Christie's, the photograph was sold for $3.6 million.

5. “99 cents.” Diptych" (2001) - $3.3 million.

Photographer - Andreas Gursky

One more, or rather two, works by Andreas Gursky. The two photographs that make up the diptych depict the interior of one of the stores where everything is sold for 99 cents.

Long rows filled with colorful boxes of goods, reflected in the glass ceiling, reinforce the feeling of endless consumerism in modern society.

The 2.07 x 3.37 meter print sold for $3.3 million in 2007.

6. “Lake in the Moonlight” (1904) - $2.9 million.

Photographer - Edward Steichen

The photograph, taken in 1904, shows a lake and a forest with moonlight shining through the trees. At the beginning of the 20th century, color photographs were an exceptional rarity, and “Lake in the Moonlight” was hand-colored by the author using the autochrome method (potato starch granules filled with paints were applied to the film different colors). To date, there are only three options for the photo. They all have their own range of shades, since each frame was painted separately.

In 2006, one of them was sold at Sotheby's for $2.9 million.

7. “Untitled No. 153” (1985) - $2.7 million.

Photographer - Cindy Sherman

As Cindy Sherman herself admitted, her main fear is to die. terrible death and photographs such as No. 153 are an attempt to reconcile oneself with it, to prepare for the unthinkable. “You don’t have to be scared and look away,” she says about her photo, “it’s not real, it’s staged, a fairy tale.”

In 2010, the almost two-meter dark photo was sold at auction for $2.7 million.

8. “Billy the Kid” (1879–1880) - $2.3 million

Photographer unknown

A photograph of the famous outlaw Billy the Kid, taken in late XIX century using the ferrotype method, was sold in 2011 to an American collector for $2.3 million. The reason for such a fabulous price is not the special artistic value of the photograph, but its uniqueness - this is the only officially confirmed photograph of Kid.

True, recently the auction house Kagin’s, Inc. announced as authentic another photograph, supposedly showing Billy the Kid playing croquet.

9. “Tobolsk Kremlin” (2009) - $1.7 million.

Photographer - Dmitry Medvedev

A photograph of the Tobolsk Kremlin, taken by Dmitry Medvedev (at that time the President of the Russian Federation), was sold at the “Christmas ABC” charity auction. Usually, paintings painted by famous politicians are put up for sale there. So, in 2009, a drawing by Vladimir Putin brought charitable foundation 37 million rubles.

Due to his busy schedule, Dmitry Medvedev did not have time to paint the picture, but suggested as an alternative a photograph of the Tobolsk landmark taken from a bird's eye view. The photo was bought for 51 million rubles.

10. “Nude” (1925) - $1.6 million.

Photographer - Edward Weston

The works of American photographer Edward Weston are characterized by very clear, sharp images, and a desire for unexpected subjects in which everyone can see something of their own. "Nude" (one of Weston's many photographs of nude models) is no exception. Looking at it, you don’t immediately understand what is depicted. Maybe it's a person, or maybe it's a sculpture or an element of the landscape. The model's androgynous form further emphasizes the abstract beauty of the photo.

In 2008, at Sotheby's auction, they paid $1.6 million for this work.

11. “Georgia O'Keefe. Hands" (1919) - $1.4 million.

Alfred Stieglitz had two passions in his life - photography and Georgia O'Keeffe. Throughout the 50 years of his career, he fought for society to accept photography as an art - with its own language, motives and genres. He fell in love with the artist O’Keeffe through her works, without even seeing her; He left his family for her. More than 300 of his photographs are dedicated to Georgia; eight of the nine Stieglitz photographs put up for auction depict her.

Photo “Georgia O'Keeffe. Hands” was sold in 2006 for $1.4 million, becoming the photographer’s most expensive work.

12. “Georgia O'Keeffe Nude” (1919) - $1.3 million.

Photographer - Alfred Stieglitz

Once again Alfred Stieglitz and his muse, artist Georgia O'Keeffe. One of a series of works dedicated to her naked body. At Sotheby's auction for black and white image Far from being a Georgia beauty, $1.3 million was paid in 2006.

13. “Untitled (Cowboy)” (1989) - $1.2 million.

Photographer - Richard Prince

Photographer Richard Prince's interest in art began with a job at Time, Inc., where his job was to cut articles from various magazines that the authors needed. In the end, all that was left was illustrations and advertising, page after page of nothing but images. "Cowboy" is a photograph of a photograph, a re-shot piece of advertising that embodies Prince's fascination with American archetypes. Despite its secondary nature, in 2005 “Cowboy” was sold for $1.1 million.

14. “Dovima and the Elephants” (1955) - $1.15 million.

Photographer - Richard Avedon

“His portraits defined the image of American style, beauty and culture for the second half of the 20th century,” they wrote about Richard Avedon. The heroine of this work is top model Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba, better known as Dovima. In the photograph taken at the Winter Circus in Paris in 1955, Dovima is wearing black dress with a huge belt. This outfit is the first evening dress designed for Christian Dior by his new assistant, Yves Saint Laurent. In 2010, the photograph was sold at Christie's for $1.15 million.

15. “Eternal Moods” (2014) - $1.1 million.

Photographer - Peter Lik

The collection is completed by the same photographer who opened it - Peter Lik. Just as “Phantom” is a black and white version of “Ghost,” so “Eternal Moods” is a black and white version of “Eternal Beauty.” The inspiration and location for creating an unusual shot was again Antelope Canyon in Arizona. More than $1.1 million was paid for the photograph by the same private collector who also bought the Phantom.

What do you think of all these photos? Tell us in the comments!

Thus, trying to inspire you to be more diligent and fruitful work, today we will show you the 10 most expensive photographs ever sold, to make you even more interested in our work. These expensive photographs once again prove that photography is not just an art form, it is a very expensive art form. The photographs presented are worth much more than many fine illustrations, sculptures or antiques.

Not all photographs in the selection were taken by outstanding photographers; there are some that are interesting in the history of their origin or in those who made this photo. There is no point in condemning or criticizing these shots, because if there were people who paid that kind of money for them, then they knew what and why they were paying for them.

The most expensive photographs in the world. Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico ($610,000)

Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico is the cheapest photo on this list. The photograph was taken by Ansel Adams (a member of the ranks) in November 1941. After the first publication of the image, it became incredibly popular. Over the course of his career, Adams made approximately thirty copies of the photograph; the original was sold at auction for just under $610,000. Today this photograph is undoubtedly a masterpiece in the world of photography.

The most expensive photographs in the world. Nautilus ($1.1 million)

Nautilus is a famous photograph taken in 1927 by photographer Edward Weston. The image shows a nautilus shell photographed against a black background. Even today, this seemingly simple photograph is considered a masterpiece, and at one time its appearance became a turning point in the world of photography.

The most expensive photographs in the world. Tobolsk Kremlin ($1.7 million)

A photograph of the Tobolsk Kremlin can hardly be called a serious piece of art; its value lies not in what it is or what is depicted on it, but in who took it. This photo was created by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The photograph was sold for $1.7 million at auction, which is almost $600,000 more than the amount paid for the frame once created by Vladimir Putin.

The most expensive photographs in the world. Billy the Kid ($2.3 million)

This is a unique photograph of a famous young outlaw of the American West. To date, this photograph is one of the most expensive photographs ever sold. The criminal Bill Kidd himself, still under the age of twenty-one, shot about twenty men, thereby becoming one of the most dangerous and terrible criminals in Western America. There are rumors that this photograph does not depict Billy the Kid himself, since some sources claim that Billy was left-handed, and the man in the picture is right-handed.

The most expensive photographs in the world. Untitled 153 ($2.7 million)

This untitled photograph was taken by German photographer, Andreas Gursky in 1985. The photograph shows a girl lying in the grass, looking not into the frame, but slightly to the side. The photo is considered a masterpiece, which explains why the photo was sold at auction for such colossal money.

The Pond is a 1904 photograph by Edward Steichen in New York State. The photo shows a forest, which is located across the road from the pond; the moon is barely visible in the branches of the trees. Pond is an incredibly famous photograph in the world, the reason for its fame is not only that it is one of the first color photographs, but also that it is the first widely circulated photograph in the world. There are three versions of this photograph. One of them was sold in 2006 for $2.9 million, and at the time, it was the most expensive photograph ever sold.

The most expensive photographs in the world. Dead Troops Speak ($3.7 million)

This is a staged photograph by Jeff Wall taken in 1992. Wall decided to depict an ambush on a Russian patrol during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1988. Thus, he created a group of "dead soldiers", positioning them in such a way that they seemed to be talking. The unique creative idea of ​​the photograph was valued at $3.7 million, which is exactly the amount the photograph was sold for at auction.

The most expensive photographs in the world. 99 cents. Diptych ($3.8 million)

99 cents. The diptych is two photographs by photographer Andreas Gursky taken in 1999. The picture shows a 99 Cent format store. The size of the photograph is approximately 2 by 3 meters. Each of the photographs was sold for incredible amounts of money. The cost of one of them was $2.25 million, and the other was $2.48 million. In 2007, the diptych was sold at auction for $3.8 million.

The most expensive photographs in the world. Untitled 96 ($3.9 million)

Untitled 96 is a photograph she took of the famous photographer in 1981. The news that the photo was sold for $3.9 million topped the headlines in 2011. At that time it was the most expensive photograph ever sold.

The most expensive photographs in the world. Rhine II – $4.3 million

Rhine II is the most expensive photography, of all those ever sold. The image was created by a photographer already familiar to us, Andreas Gursky, in 1999 in Germany on the Rhine River and sold in 2011 for $4.3 million. The interest of the photograph lies in the fact that initially the picture showed many people and buildings, which Gursky removed using all kinds of photo manipulation. Thus, the photographer wanted to depict a natural view of the Rhine River. This has sparked some controversy, with critics arguing that the most expensive photo in the world should actually be the original photo and not the result of editing.

The total cost of the ten most expensive photographs is almost 40 million US dollars! Almost all the photographs were sold at auction during the lifetime of the authors. And some photographers were able to sell more than one of their photographs for more than a million dollars each.

Let's look at the photographs that made their authors millionaires:

10th place - Cindy Sherman - Untitled Photo No. 48 (1979) - sold for $2,965,000 in 2015 at Christie’s New York

9th place - Richard Prince - Untitled photo from the Cowboy series (2000) - sold for $3,077,000 in 2014 at Sotheby’s New York auction

8th place - Andreas Gursky - Chicago Mercantile Exchange III (1999) - sold for $3,298,755 in 2013 at Sotheby's London

7th place - Andreas Gursky - 99 cents II, diptych (2001) - sold for $3,346,456 in 2007 at Sotheby's London

6th place - Jeff Wall - Dead Warriors Speak - sold for $3,666,500 in 2012 at Christie’s New York

5th place - Gilbert and George - For Her Majesty, collage of photographs (1973) - sold for $3,765,276 in 2008 at Christie's London

4th place - Cindy Sherman - Untitled Photo No. 96 (1981) - sold for $3,890,500 in 2011 at Christie’s New York

3rd place - Richard Prince - Spiritual America (1981) - sold for $3,973,000 in 2014 at Christie’s New York

2nd place - Andreas Kursky - Rhine II (1999) - sold for $4,338,500 in 2011 at Christie’s New York

1st place - Peter Lik - Phantom - The photograph became the most expensive in history and was bought by a collector from Los Angeles for $6,500,000... The first photo at the beginning of the post is a color version of this photograph. But 6.5 million were paid for b/w:

What can I say – cool!

My most expensive photo sold for $290. And although I consider myself a photographer wildlife, Lady Gaga was in the photo sold :))

What do you think? Are these photos worth the money you paid for them?

Sources: Wikipedia, christies.com, sothebys.com, lik.com

Some photographs are comparable in value to paintings by Renaissance artists. What is their value? How do they differ from the great many photos of cats, children and flowers that multiply every day on all kinds of photo sites and social networks? What makes art connoisseurs shell out incredible sums for exclusive photographs? Below is a selection of the most expensive photographs in the world today.

The photograph, taken in 1999 by Peter Lik, is called "Phantom". Its cost is estimated at 6 million 500 thousand dollars! So far this is the most expensive photograph in the world in history. Peter Leake took it while he was in Antelope Canyon, Arizona.

This photo has made the rounds on the Internet more than once. The author is German Andreas Gursky. The photo, taken in 1999, is called "Rhine II". The price of the photographic work is impressive: 4 million 338 thousand dollars. Gursky is a renowned photographer and has several photographs in his collection that have sold for millions of dollars. The photo shows the German Rhine River between dams in rainy weather. The original version featured a power plant, a passerby and a dog. The author retouched all this in Photoshop. This is one of the photographs from the Rhine series. The photograph was auctioned in 2011 at Christie's. Its first owner was the Cologne gallery of Monika Sprüt, then the work went to an unknown collector.

The work of the extravagant American photographer Cindy Sherman was made using the technique of so-called staged photographs. This is her most expensive and widely famous work taken in 1981, instead of the title there is No. 96. The photo was purchased for 3 million 890 thousand dollars. The picture shows a bright girl: red hair, freckles, orange clothes. Cindy Sherman, a self-described performance artist, brings a special meaning to photography. In her opinion, this was an attempt to capture the realization of immature femininity through the innocent image of a young pretty girl. A teenager holds in his hands a piece of newspaper with dating advertisements. The photograph was sold in 2011 at Christie’s auction.

“Dead Warriors Speak” is a photograph with such an epic title, strictly speaking, and not a photograph at all. This is a masterful photo collage made by Jeff Wall in 1992 and sold at auction for $3 million, 666,500. It looks very realistic but is staged. The plot takes place in 1986 in Afghanistan. The photo shows a military ambush of Red Army soldiers, but in reality it is a dozen professional actors posing. The historicity is preserved - the characters are made up and dressed in appropriate costumes. The photograph taken in the studio was later processed by Jeff Wall in a photo editor.

In 2001–2002, Richard Prince created a photograph for a Marlboro advertisement and called it "Cowboy". In 2007, “Cowboy” was sold at auction at Christie’s for the enormous sum of 3 million 340 thousand dollars.

Andreas Gursky's insanely expensive 2001 diptych 99 Cents II depicts a moment from a day at a 99 Cent store. Like “Rhine II”, which was already mentioned above, the picture is extremely popular. Perhaps the style of photography, the insane perfectionism in organizing the goods, the spirit of consumption - all this made the work one of the most expensive in history. 99 Cents II was purchased by a collector for $3,346,456.

This photograph by Edward Steichen does not pretend to be deeply meaningful or particularly eccentric. Its uniqueness and value are determined by the fact that “Pond by Moonlight” is the first color photography in the history of photography, made at night. Steichen made it in 1904. Now it's worth almost $3 million.

An equally popular photograph by Andreas Gursky, sold for $2 million, 355,597, is called “Chicago Board of Trade III.” It was also made in a series from 1999 to 2009. This photo is of exceptional resolution. The huge canvas print (approximately 185 x 240 cm) depicts the everyday life of the Chicago Chamber of Commerce. If you enlarge the picture, you can see the working staff, computers, and clothing down to the smallest detail. The photograph was bought for more than two million dollars in 2013.

Billy the Kid, aka Fort Sumner from New Mexico, is known to modern times from one surviving photograph. The photograph was presumably taken in 1879–1880; history has not preserved the name of the author. The unique photograph was bought by an unknown collector for 2 million 300 thousand dollars several years ago.

The photograph “Tobolsk Kremlin” went under the hammer at the “Christmas ABC” auction dedicated to charity. The cost of the work is impressive by Russian standards - 51 million rubles. ($1.7 million at the 2009 exchange rate) The uniqueness of the photograph is due to the uniqueness of the author. It was taken in 2009 by now ex-President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev from a bird's eye view during an excursion.

"Nude Exposure" by Edward Weston is an erotic photograph taken in 1925 that depicts the naked body of Tina Modotti. Weston’s beloved woman and assistant helped him create the photograph, which, according to 2008 data, is estimated at 1 million 609 thousand dollars.

In 1919, Alfred Stieglitz took a powerful photograph of the inspired hands of artist Georgia O'Keeffe. The photograph of the same name “Georgia O’Keefe” in the winter of 2006 was sold at the famous New York auction Sotheby’s for $1 million 470 thousand.

"Georgia O'Keeffe (Nude)", Alfred Stieglitz. The photo was sold for 1 million 360 thousand dollars in February 2006 at Sotheby's auction in New York.

The cost of photographs can be explained by the fact that Alfred Stieglitz was the man who almost single-handedly “pushed” the United States into the world of art of the 20th century. Stieglitz's passionate struggle for recognition of photography as an art form was ultimately crowned with his unconditional triumph.

A photograph is just a moment captured by a camera lens. How expensive can such a photo cost? You will be surprised, but sometimes the price is calculated not even in hundreds and thousands, but in millions of US dollars.

Often the sales amounts are so high that they overshadow the value of the works of the greatest artists and sculptors. We are sure you will be wondering who the authors of these amazingly expensive photographs are and what is depicted on them.

This photo is the oldest on our list, dating back to 1904. However, it was sold for an impressive price of $2.9 million only in 2004. The photo was taken in the suburbs of New York on a pond, behind which a dense forest can be seen.

The only thing that attracts attention in this gloomy photo is the dim moonlight reflected from the surface of the water. The photograph is interesting because it was made in color, although at that time it was technically impossible to do this in the usual ways. To achieve the unique effect, Steichen created the colored elements by hand, applying light-sensitive layers to printing paper.

99 Cents II, Andreas Gursky

This is the work of German photographer Andreas Gursky, which was sold for 3.3 million dollars at the London Sotheby's auction. At first glance, this is an ordinary photo that can be taken in any hypermarket. What is striking is not only the abundance of goods, but also how they merge into orderly rows of colored dots, practically depriving the buyer of the right to choose. different time– in 2000 and 2001, and later edited in a computer program.

For Her Majesty, Gilbert Prosch and George Passmore

This photographic work was taken in 1973 as part of the Living Sculptures project and was called “For Her Majesty.” It brings together several black and white photographs that are dedicated to the memory of an evening of drunkenness. Gilbert Prosch and George Passmore believed that all artists are addicted to alcohol, but at the same time create “sober” paintings. Photo reflects real life- as she really is. The photograph was auctioned at Christie's in London for $3.7 million, this happened in 2008.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange III, Andreas Gursky

This time, the author captured the trading floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange during its peak hours. Here you can see excited brokers, rows of monitors, and tables littered with sheets of paper. Gursky shot from different angles and then combined the photographs into one using digital processing techniques. The result obtained is estimated at 3.3 million dollars (London 2013, Sotheby's auction).

Cowboy, Richard Prince

Two photographs by Richard Prince were included in the list of the most expensive photographs on the planet. If “Spiritual America,” which will be discussed below, is associated with scandalous events, then “Cowboy” is a typical advertising material created for the famous tobacco company Philip Morris. At Christie's auction the photograph was sold for $3.5 million.

And again, the question of the authorship of the photo is acute - it was made based on the work of Sam Abel and reworked by Prince taking into account the concept of Marlboro cigarettes. Simply put, it is a photograph of one of the fragments of another photograph. The result is a positive image of a cowboy hero, who symbolizes masculinity, belonging to Native Americans and at the same time promotes, in general, not the most healthy habit.

Dead Soldiers Talking, Jeff Wall

The full title of this famous photograph dedicated to the war is much longer - “Vision after an ambush on Soviet army soldiers in Afghanistan in the winter of 1986.” In fact, the photo was taken in 1992 and is staged. It depicts soldiers with serious injuries at the moment of resurrection, and imaginary conversations between them are an attempt to comprehend their new emotional status.

The editors of the site clarify that the filming took place in the studio, a separate photo was taken for each fragment, and then Jeff Wall brought them together. The photograph was sold in 2012 at Christie's for $3.6 million.

Spiritual America, Richard Prince

In the original, the title of this photo sounds like Spiritual America and it is unlikely that the Russian translation fully conveys the meaning intended by its author, Richard Prince. The picture was taken in 1983 and brought the creator more than 3.7 million dollars as a result of sale at Christie's auction in 2014.

Richard is a notorious appropriation photographer, the author of many controversial works. “Spiritual America,” which features a nude ten-year-old Brooke Shields, is an appeal to no less famous photograph 1923, made by Alfred Stieglitz. The latter depicts a fragment of a harnessed castrated horse, symbolizing the image of America during the Great Depression.

Stills from Untitled Films, No. 96, Sidney Sherman

None of the 12 photographs in Sydney Sherman's Centerfold series have a title. In this way, the author unobtrusively gives us the opportunity to evaluate for ourselves what is depicted in the photographs. Photo number #96, which depicts a girl with newspaper clippings in her hands, was sold at Christie's auction in 2014 for $3.9 million.

Advertisements for a man, which are easily visible in this fragment, became a symbol of her transformation into a woman. By the way, Sydney Sherman herself posed for all the photographs in this series. Other works by her, numbered #93 and #48, were also highly appreciated, and were sold for $3.8 and $2.9 million, respectively.

Rhine II, Andreas Gursky

A German photographer created this amazing expensive photo back in 1999. The image of the Rhine River in rainy weather was so popular among photography fans that it was valued at $4.3 million—that’s how much it was sold for at Christie’s in 2011. By the way, in the original version there were three more objects on it: a person, a dog and a power plant. However, Andreas got rid of them in a photo editor. Today the painting is in the hands of an unknown private collector.

Phantom, Peter Lik

This photo is not in some official ratings, since everything that is known about its sale, the world knows only from the words of the author, Peter Lik. He claims that in 2014 he sold the photo “Phantom” to an anonymous buyer for a record $6.5 million. Black and white photo taken in Antelope Canyon, Arizona. Peter claims that in it he captured the power of nature in a way that would inspire others with passion and make them feel connected to nature.

In the more than one and a half hundred years that have passed since the invention of photography, it has become a real art. Without exaggeration, we can say that the same thing happened with cinema. There are many film awards that each year recognize the best and worst films made during that period. The editors of the site invite you to read about the history of cinema.
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