The $4 million Photo
It actually sold for more than $4 million — $4,338,500, to be exact. It was taken by Andreas Gursky who titled it “Rhine II” because it shows a scene along the Rhine River. Its sale in 2011 made it (at the time) the most expensive photo in the world.
The pricetag astounded many people, since it kinda looks like a photo any amateur could and would take. Florence Waters, art critic for the Daily Telegraph, offered this defense of it:
The pricetag astounded many people, since it kinda looks like a photo any amateur could and would take. Florence Waters, art critic for the Daily Telegraph, offered this defense of it:
For all its apparent simplicity, the photograph is a statement of dedication to its craft. The late 1980s, when Gursky shot to attention, was a time when photography was first entering gallery spaces, and photographs were taking their place alongside paintings. Photography “as art”, at the time, was still brave and new, and the simplicity of this image shows a great deal of confidence in its effectiveness and potential for creating atmospheric, hyper-real scenarios that in turn teach us to see - and read - the world around us anew. The scale, attention to colour and form of his photography can be read as a deliberate challenge to painting's status as a higher art form. On top of that, Gursky’s images are extraordinary technical accomplishments, which take months to set up in advance, and require a lot of digital doctoring to get just right.
Comments
Stupid Art Critic: "Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah. It's worth an incredible amount of money."
Stupid Art Collector: "Would the guy take four million for it?"
Stupid Art Collector: "Would the guy take four million for it?"
Posted by KDP on 11/03/19 at 11:34 AM
You could argue that "Earthrise" or "Pale Blue Dot" were more expensive photographs paid for by the US Government. Comparing those photographs and this photograph, however, i know who got their money's worth at least.
This also kinda reminds me of astronomers paying millions of bucks to put a new space telescope in the sky but then some jerk invents a way to take clear pictures through earthbound telescopes by taking dozens of photographs right after each other and automatically filtering them on clarity and finding the one outstanding clear shot defying the randomness of atmospheric disturbance.
This also kinda reminds me of astronomers paying millions of bucks to put a new space telescope in the sky but then some jerk invents a way to take clear pictures through earthbound telescopes by taking dozens of photographs right after each other and automatically filtering them on clarity and finding the one outstanding clear shot defying the randomness of atmospheric disturbance.
Posted by Fluffy Bunny Slippers on 11/08/19 at 12:58 AM
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Category: Overpriced Merchandise | Photography and Photographers