THE MOST EXPENSIVE PHOTOS IN THE WORLD COST MORE THAN $ 1 000 000

The cost of some photos is comparable to the cost of the most famous works of great artists of the Renaissance. How valuable are these photographs? What distinguishes them from the millions of selfies, photos of cats and children that we see every day? What reasons make art connoisseurs lay out bosons for exclusive shots? We present you the most expensive photos in the world (March 2015).
1. Peter Lick: Phantom ($ 6.5 million)
“Phantom”
The picture taken in 1999 by Peter Lick is called the “Phantom”. Its cost is estimated at 6.5 (!) Million dollars. While this is the most expensive photograph in the world in history. Peter Lick made her when he was in the canyon of Antelope, Arizona.
2. Andreas Gursky: Rhine II ($ 4.33 million)
“Rhine II”
This photo has already bypassed the Internet. The author is German Andreas Gursky. The photo taken in 1999 is called the “Rhine II”. The price of photographs is impressive: 4,338 thousand dollars. Gursky is a famous photo artist, and in his collection there are several photos sold for millions of dollars. In the photo, the German River Rhine between the dykes in rainy weather. In the original version there was a power station, a passer-by and a dog. All this the author retouched in Photoshop. This is one of the shots of the Rhine series. The photo was sold by auction in 2011 at Christie’s. Its first owner was the Cologne Gallery of Monica Spryut, then the work went to an unknown collector.
3. Gary Gross: Spiritual America ($ 3.97 million)
“Spiritual America”
The name is an allusion to the famous photo of Alfred Stieglitz, depicting a castrated horse as America’s roaring twenties metaphor. In the photograph of Gross nude Brooke Shields, which at that time was 10 years old. Subsequently, the actress tried to prevent further use of the photos, but the court refused her, because despite the fact that she was a child at the time of the shooting, her mother signed the unlimited consent to use the photos, and the images themselves did not violate the law on child pornography.
4. Cindy Sherman: “No. 96” ($ 3.89 million)
“No. 96”
The work of an extravagant photo artist from America Cindy Sherman made in the technique of so-called staged photos. This is her most expensive and widely known work done in 1981, instead of the name is number 96. The photo was purchased for 3,890 thousand dollars. The picture shows a bright girl: red hair, freckles, orange clothes. Cindy Sherman, who calls herself a performance artist, gives the photo a special meaning. In her opinion, it was an attempt to capture the realization of immature femininity through the innocent image of a young pretty girl. The teenager is holding a scrap of newspaper with ads about dating. The picture was sold in 2011 at Christie’s.
5. Gilbert Prosh and George Passmore: For Her Majesty ($ 3.765 million)
“For Her Majesty”
British artists Gilbert Prosh and George Passmore work in the genre of performance photos. With their collage they designated the utopian idea of ​​social sculpture of the future – where each person is an artist, and his life is a work of art.
6. Jeff Wall: Dead Warriors Speak ($ ​​3.66 million)
“They say the dead warriors”
“They say the dead warriors” – a photo with such an epic title, strictly speaking, and not a photo at all. This is a master photo collage made by Jeff Wall in 1992 and sold at auction for $ 3,666,500. It looks very realistic, but is a production. The plot takes in 1986 in Afghanistan. In the photo is a military ambush of the Red Army men, in reality, the pose of a dozen professional actors. The historicity is preserved — the characters are made up and dressed in the appropriate costumes. A photograph taken in the studio, Jeff Woll later processed in the photo editor.
7. Richard Prince: “Cowboy” ($ 3.4 million)
“Cowboy”
In 2001–2002, Richard Prince created a photograph for Marlboro advertising and called it “Cowboy.” In 2007, Cowboy was auctioned off at Christie’s for a massive $ 3.4 million.
8. Andreas Gursky: “99 cents” ($ 3.34 million)
“99 cents”
The insanely expensive diptych from Andreas Gursky “99 cents — II”, made in 2001, depicts the moment from one working day in the shop “99 cents”. Like the Rhine II, which has already been mentioned above, the snapshot is extremely popular. Perhaps the style of photography, insane perfectionism in the organization of the goods, the spirit of consumption – all this made the work one of the most expensive in history. The picture “99 cents —II” was bought by a collector for $ 3,346,456.
9. Andreas Gursky: “Chicago Chamber of Commerce —III” ($ 2.35 million)
“Chicago Chamber of Commerce —III”
Another equally popular shot by Andreas Gursky, sold for $ 2,355,597, is called the Chicago Chamber of Commerce — III. It was also made in the series from 1999 to 2009. This photo has an exceptional resolution. A huge imprint on the canvas (approximately 185 × 240 cm) depicts the everyday life of the Chamber of Commerce in Chicago. If you enlarge the picture, you can see the working personnel, computers, and look at clothes to the smallest detail. Photo bought for more than two million dollars.