Top 10 Most Expensive Photographs Ever Sold
by Kowsalya
Updated Mar 27, 2024
Top 10 Most Expensive Photographs Ever Sold
A lot of people have considered photography to be their favorite hobby or career. While most people post their photos on social media, and those pictures are really good they will be sold at high prices. Do you want to know about the photography and how much money cost it?
Read this article to get information about the Most Expensive Photographs Ever Sold. Every picture includes information on what it shows, who took it, and why it's special. You will also know about the period these images were taken and the reasons people think they're worth millions. You will also learn about why some kinds of pictures are well famous and most popular.
The Flatiron Building (1904) – $11,800,000
Image Source: The Flatiron Building by Edward Steichen
The Flatiron Building, completed in the year 1902, quickly became one of New York City's most popular landmarks. The popular photographers Edward Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz drew the pictures. Their main motive is to capture the beauty that appears in painting in the best way possible. In that picture, Steichen colored platinum print using a mix of potassium bichromate and gum arabic, creating a pictorialist style reminiscent of Japanese woodcuts and James McNeill Whistler's paintings The Nocturnes.
The picture was clicked from the west of Madison Square Park. It led to making a bunch of prints in colors like tan, blue, and also orange. These prints show something very American but with a special artistic touch.
Phantom (1999) - $6,500,000
Image Source: The Phantom by Peter Lik
Peter Lik's favorite spot for photography is in the Southwestern United States, particularly Arizona's Antelope Canyon, shaped by natural water flow over millions of years. "Phantom" was captured in a subterranean grotto, presenting a striking black-and-white depiction of a ghostly figure.
Lik, hailing from Australia, has dedicated over 30 years to photographing and sharing the world's most beautiful locations. Despite his success and numerous awards, there's controversy surrounding his work, especially regarding the sale of "Phantom."
Lik's art is often sold in tourist hotspots like Maui and Las Vegas, appealing to buyers without a strong art background but with disposable income, who see his prints as an easy way to enter the art market.
Rhein II (1999) - $4,338,500
Image Source: Rhein II by Andreas Gursky
Andreas Gursky also known as the "Rhein II" painted one of the segments of the Rhine River near Düsseldorf, Germany. This famous image shows a fairly straightforward image of a straight length of water, yet it actually shows an abstract arrangement of horizontal bands in different types of colors.
The scene is fully divided by the horizon line, and it delivers a continuous, smooth river flanked by green grass below and a blue-gray sky above. Gursky does not create imaginary imagery with his use of digital technology; rather, it increases the representation of the real environment.
Untitled #96 (1981)- $3,890,500
Image Source: Untitled #96 (1981) by Cindy Sherman
Cindy Sherman's "Untitled #96" is a kind of special picture she took when she was 27 years old. She's lying on the ground in the picture, wearing a checkered skirt and an orange pullover. She is holding a shredded piece of newspaper and her expression, whether attentive or sorrowful, is directed towards the camera.
She shot this picture in the year 1981 for the Artforum magazine, but it was never published. But later on, it gained a lot of notoriety and was sold in 2011 for about $3.9 million. Since she took the photo of herself, some have dubbed it the most expensive selfie ever. This image is available in other copies; in 2012, one of them brought $2.88 million.
Twin Flames #49 NFT (2021)-$3,781,159
Image Source: Twin Flames #49 NFT (2021) by Justin Aversanov
"Twin Flames #49" is a digital picture drawn by Justin Aversano's collection named Twin Flames. He took pictures of a total of 100 sets of twins. Aversano is a popular American artist, he is also helps run Save Art Space. He thinks art can make people feel better and it's more important than just gaining money.
This unique photo is most important because it probably shows Alyson and Courtney Aliano, well, they were twins. In the picture, Alyson stands by a mirror, looking sad as if she misses her sister. The photo was sold as a special digital item called an NFT in 2022. t was sold for 871 ETH, which is about $3.78 million. Few of the money went to help new artists through the Raw Doa Treasury.
To Her Majesty (1973) - $3,749,000
Image Source: To Her Majesty (1973) by Gilbert and George
"To Her Majesty" by Gilbert and George is a bunch of black and white pictures on a covered white background. Gilbert Proesch and George Passmore, they generally called Gilbert and George, lots of people think of themselves as one artist but they are two people.
They met at the time of studying sculpture in London in 1967 and began working together. "To Her Majesty" is, a major part of their Drinking Sculptures Project, where they took 37 pictures at the Balls Brothers Wine Bar in the year London in the 1970s.
These pictures look blurry, broken up, and messed up on purpose to deliver what it feels like to be drunk. The art was sold at Christie’s London in the year June 2008 for GBP 1,889,250, which was more than they thought it would sell for, showing how special their art is.
Untitled Cowboy (1998) - $3,749,000
Image Source: Untitled Cowboy (1998) by Richard Prince
Richard Prince's "Untitled Cowboy" is part of his Cowboy collection, which he started publishing in the 1980s. In this collection, Prince rephotographs a picture from American popular culture, featuring the iconic Marlboro man in his cowboy journey.
The picture of the cowboy with no name shows him wearing his cool cowboy hat, leather pants, and boots, trying to tame a crazy black horse out in the desert. Prince's aims to emphasize the cowboy as a symbol of American culture. The photograph was sold at Christie’s New York auction in May 2012 for $3,749,000, falling within the estimated price range of $3,000,000 to $4,000,000.
Dead Troops Talk (1992)- $3,666,500
Image Source: Dead Troops Talk (1992) by Jeff Wall
Jeff Wall's "Dead Troops Talk" shows a scene of war in Afghanistan. Even though it looks like an original photo, Wall actually makes the scene like a movie. It's about an attack by Mujahideen fighters on Soviet soldiers from the Red Army.
Wall stages it with models and lights to make it look like a painting of a war. The images make you feel like death, sadness, and hopelessness because all the Soviet soldiers look dead or dying, while you can see the attackers in the background. This picture sold for a lot of money, $3,666,500, at an auction in New York in May 2012. It was supposed to sell for less, between $1,500,000 and $2,000,000.
Untitled Cowboy (2000)- $3,525,000
Image Source: Untitled Cowboy (2000) by Richard Prince
Richard Prince's "Untitled Cowboy" is part of his Cowboy series, it shows the famous Marlboro man, a symbol of American culture. Just like his other photos in this series, Prince changes the real commercial photo, removing all the words and focusing on some major parts.
In this picture, you see many cowboys in different positions among trees. The trees look like shadows against the yellowish ground and purple sky. The soft colors of the sunset make the scene feel peaceful and calm. This photo was sold at an auction in New York for $3,525,000, a bit more than what people thought it would sell for, which was between $2,500,000 and $3,500,000.
Untitled Cowboy (2001-2002)- $3,401,000
Image Source: Untitled Cowboy (2000) by Richard Prince
Richard Prince's "Untitled Cowboy" is another photo with the Marlboro man, which he often takes pictures of. In this one, you see the silhouette of a cowboy holding a lasso while sitting on a fence.
He's wearing typical cowboy clothes with boots and a hat. Behind him, the sky looks like it's on fire with shades of orange and yellow, making a big difference with the grey cowboy silhouette. This photo was sold at an auction in New York for $3,401,000. That's much more than what people thought it would sell for, between $1,500,000 and $2,000,000.
