Have you ever wondered what the most expensive photograph ever sold was? How about how much it brought at auction? Most photographers that have ever sold a picture, or even though about selling a photo, has pondered.
While photos from all different disciplines of photography have sold successfully, if we are talking about the most expensive photo ever sold, we are going to be talking about “fine art” photography.
Fine art photography can be a strange and volatile market that can change very rapidly. While most photos sell for what people would consider reasonable amounts, some inflate to numbers most photographers can only ever see in their dreams.
The value and final selling price of artistic photograph prints are generally not set by the artist themselves, but by the people who buy the photos.
The largest majority of these kinds of prints are sold at auction, which is the case for 9 of the 10 photos on this list.
As photographers, it is important for us to remember that these prices are extraordinary and are not based on the artist’s abilities alone.
Otherwise, it would be easy to be discouraged by seeing this type of success in such a difficult market.
#1 Peter Lik, Phantom – (?) #2 Andreas Gursky, Rhein II $4,338,500 #3 Richard Prince, Spiritual America $3,973,000 #4 Cindy Sherman, Untitled 96 $3,890,500 #5 Gilbert & George, To Her Majesty $3,765,276 #6 Jeff Wall, Dead Troops Talk $3,666,500 #7 Andreas Gursky, 99 Cent II Diptychon $3,346,456 #8 Andreas Gursky, Chicago Board of Trade II $3,298,755 #9 Richard Prince, Untitled (Cowboy) $3,077,000 #10 Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still 48 $2,965,000
