Australian photographer Peter Lik achieved a place in art history when Phantom sold for a record-breaking US$6,500,000 in late 2014, but he isn’t the first photographer to achieve sales in the millions. Most of the photographs were sold at auctions, which means that people with deep pockets decided how much the image is worth to them.
Here are the ten most expensive photographs in history published by Expert Photography.
Untitled Film Still #48 by Cindy Sherman – US$2,965,000
The photograph is part of a series that the artist made between 1977 and 1980. Sherman herself appears as fictitious female characters in the 69 black and white photos. She used makeup, wigs and vintage dresses to recreate female cliches from films. Photograph #48 was bought for US$2,965,000 in 2015.
Untitled (Cowboy) by Richard Prince – US$3,077,000
Prince’s work is a photo of a photo. He rephotographed pictures while he was developing his own style. In this case, the image is from a Marlboro campaign, and it depicts the ‘Marlboro Man’. The piece was bought for US$3,077,000 in 2014.
Chicago Board of Trade II by Andreas Gursky – $3,298,755
The picture exhibits the trading floor of the Board of Trade in Chicago. To express the sense of movement, Gursky double-exposed several parts of the image. Gursky is well-known for his unique style in the world of photography. He makes huge painting-like prints of images which show the enormous scale of human existence and our engagement with globalization in the contemporary world. This 157 × 284 cm print was auctioned for US$3,298,755 in 2013.
99 Cent II Diptychon by Andreas Gursky – US$3,346,456
The chromogenic colour print that was sold at Sotheby’s London in February 2007. The two-part photo depicts a supermarket with several aisles. Gursky altered the picture digitally. What did it fetch? An astounding US$3,346,456.
Dead Troops Talk by Jell Wall – US$3,666,500
The image in question, sold as transparency in lightbox. Jeff Wall is world-famous for his large-format backlit Cibachrome photographs of staged scenes inspired by the history of art. In his conceptual style, he also refers to philosophical problems of the photographic and artistic representation. It depicts a fictional scene with a battlefield. The soldiers are coming back to life, resembling a zombie horror movie.
This went on sale at Christie’s New York in May 2012. It made a cool US$3,666,500.
To Her Majesty by Gilbert & George – US$3,765,276
These photographic provocateurs created this installation as a Gelatin Silver print. The series of photos commemorate drunk evenings of the duo. It went under the hammer at Christie’s London in June 2008. It made US$3,765,276.
Untitled #96 by Cindy Sherman – US$3,890,500
Cindy Sherman is no stranger to expensive prints. This one netted her a welcomed US$3,890,500 when it was auctioned at Christie’s New York in May 2011.
Sherman used the centrefolds of men’s erotic magazines as inspiration for this work. She appears as the complete opposite of a model who we would find in those pictures. Many people claim that her facial expression and body language shows vulnerability.
Sherman depicts rape and abuse in the photo. The model looks scared instead of being seductive. The image was presented as a Chromogenic colour print. The print was auctioned for $3,890,500.
Spiritual America by Richard Prince – $3,973,000
It is one of the most controversial photos in history. It depicts the 10-year old and naked Brooke Shields. Her childish body is in great contrast with her seductive and mature facial expression.
The police banned the work from the exhibition in the Tate Modern in London. Ektacolor print sold at Christie’s New York in May 2014: US$3,973,000.
Rhein II - Andreas Gursky – US$4,338,500
Another chromogenic colour print, but this time, costing an individual US$4,338,500. The image shows the Lower Rhine. The river is depicted between green grass fields and under the overcast sky.
Gursky removed dog walkers and a factory building in digital editing.
Sold at Christie’s New York in November 2011, it was the held the world record for most expensive print ever sold until 2014.
Phantom by Peter Lik – US$ 6,500,000
This image is a black and white print of the famous Antelope Canyon in Arizona, USA. It is unverified, as the buyer is ‘private and anonymous’. Its place as the costliest photo in the world is still the source of heated debates. You may be tempted to think that Jeff Frost inched past Australian photographer Peter Lik by selling his image for $6.5 Million and ten cents.
