Here are the Top 10 Most Expensive Photographs in the world.
10. Billy The Kid (1880)
Photo number 10 is a classic black and white photo entitled “Billy the Kid”. It was shot in 1880 and sold for
$2.3 million dollars.
9. Untitled #153 (1985)
The number 9 photo also belongs to Cindy Sherman who had the number 2 photo. This photo was shot in the year 1985. It sold for the grand total of $2.7 million dollars. It is also an untitled photo. Like Cindy’s other photo, it too shows a woman lying on the ground. However, this photo has a more morbid image. It shows a dead woman on a grassy surface in a condition of decomposing.
It seems that she is beside her undug grave plot and for some reason was left on the ground. She has a compelling stare as if she is asking the question… “Why have you left me here unburied”? I would imagine that this photo is not a suitable image for everyone.
8. The Pond-Moonlight (1904)
The number 8 spot goes to photographer Edward Steichen. The interesting aspect to this photo is that it was taken in the year 1904. The photo has a selling price of $2.9 million dollars. The title of the photo is appropriately called The Pond/Moonlight. It is an amazing photo considering that the photographer did not have all of the advantages of the modern techniques that are found in today’s cameras.
It is a photo that is exactly as the title describes, a pond and the moonlight that is reflecting off of it. Another interesting part of this photo is that the moon is just beginning to rise on the horizon. Also, there are is a grove of trees that the light must pass through before it hits the pond.
7. Los Angeles, by Andreas Gursky (1998)
The number 7 photo also belongs to Andreas Gursky. He obviously has a incredible flair for capturing award winning pictures. This particular photo was taken in the year 1998. It sold for a awesome price of 2.9 million dollars. The photo is simply entitled Los – Angeles. It is a very simple photo of Los – Angeles taken at nighttime. The top and the bottom of the photo are completely black. In the lower middle of the picture we see a lit-up Los – Angeles at an angle the gives you the perception of the earth’s horizon.
The picture has an attraction to it in so many different ways. It is as though you are in the cockpit of an airplane about to land on an alien planet
6. 99 Cent II, Diptychon, by Andreas Gursky (2001)
The number 6 photo sold for a total of 3.3 million dollars. It was taken by Andreas Gursky in the year 2001. As you can see by the entire top ten selection that this photographer has three places in the top ten. This number five all-time winner entitled 99 Cent II, Diptychon is a virtual candy shop for the visual senses. The colors in this photo are amazing and it hard not to turn away from its hypnotic allure. It is a photo of a store with all of the items on display. As mentioned above, the colors are hypnotic and the added arrangement of item upon item makes this a very appealing photo.
5. Untitled (Cowboy) (2001)
Number 5 on the top ten list belongs to photographer Richard Prince. His photo sold for a $3.4 million dollar price tag. It was taken in either 2001 or 2002 and has an image of a lone cowboy on his trusty white stallion. The backdrop is a gorgeous blue sky with an accumulation of white fluffy clouds. The rider is in hot pursuit of an animal that is left to our imagination. The landscape is a dusty plain and you can feel the anticipation of the hunter as he is about to capture his prey.
4. Dead Troops Talk (1992)
The fourth place finisher is a photo from Jeff Wall. It was taken in the year of 1992. It sold for $3.7 million dollars and it also is a black and white photo with a hint of an eerie bluish-gray color and a drab reddish brown color. The photo is entitled Dead Troops Talk and it depicts a war time scene where a group of solders lie in death. However, even though they are dead they appear to be talking with each other.
3. For Her Majesty (1973)
The third ranked photo in this top ten collection is from the duo of Gilbert & George. The photo was taken in 1973. It sold for the tidy sum of $3.7 million dollars. It is a black and white photo and has a series of photos in a box-like pattern.
2. Untitled #96 (1981)
At the number two spot is an untitled photo from Cindy Sherman. The picture was taken in 1981 and sold for $3.9 million dollars. It is simply a picture of a teenage girl lying on a floor. What makes this photo so interesting is the combination of texture and color.
1. Rhein II (1999)
The most expensive photo sold for $4.3 million dollars. It is entitled Rhein II and it is by the famous photographer Andreas Gursky. This photo was taken in 1999. It portrays a landscape with a overcast cloudy sky. The primary colors in this photo are green and gray.
