THE MOST EXPENSIVE PHOTOGRAPHS OF ALL

TIME

#15. “Dovima With Elephants”, Richard

Avedon ($1,151,976 – Nov. 2010)

• This 1955 photo by American fashion photographer Avedon features the first first evening dress designed for Christian Dior by his new assistant, Yves Saint-Laurent.

#14. “Untitled (Cowboy)”, Richard Prince ($1,248,000 – Nov. 2005)

• This 1989 image by American artist Prince is a “re-photograph” appropriated from a cigarette advertisement.

#13. “Georgia O'Keeffe (Nude)”, Alfred Stieglitz ($1,360,000 – Feb. 2006)

• This 1919 photo by American artist Stieglitz is one of the many pictures he took of American painter Georgia O’Keeffe (whom he later married).

#12. “Georgia O'Keeffe (Hands)”, Alfred

Stieglitz ($1,470,000 – Feb. 2006)

• This 1919 photo is another one of the more than 350 images that Stieglitz took of O’Keeffe between 1918 and 1925.

#11. “Nude”, Edward Weston ($1,609,000 – Apr. 2008)

• This 1925 photo by American artist Weston is one of many nude photos he took throughout his career.

#10. "Tobolsk Kremlin”, Dmitry Medvedev ($1,750,000 – Jan. 2009)

• This 2009 photo of a Siberian kremlin (fortress) was taken by Russian president Medvedev and sold at a charity auction.

#9. “Billy the Kid”, unknown ($2,300,000 –

June 2011)

• This tintype image from 1879-80, taken in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, is the only authenticated photo of the famous Old West outlaw.

#8. “Untitled #153”, Cindy Sherman

($2,700,000 – Nov. 2010)

• American artist Sherman examines the role and representation of women in her work. Like most of her photographs, this 1985 image depicts the artist in costume and make-up.

#7. "The Pond-Moonlight”, Edward Steichen ($2,928,500 – Feb. 2006)

• This pictorialist photo from 1904 shows a forest across a pond, with part of the moon appearing over the horizon in a gap in the trees.

#6. “Chicago Board of Trade III”, Andreas Gursky ($3,298,755 – Nov. 2011)

• This 1997 photograph by German artist Gursky is an example of one of his large scale landscape photos, often taken from high vantage points.

#5. “99 Cent II Diptychon”, Andreas Gursky ($3,346,456 –

Feb. 2007)

• This two-part 1999 photograph depicts the interior of a supermarket, with aisles full of colourful products. The photo is digitally altered to reduce perspective.

• This photograph from the same series gives a better look at the amount of detail that Gursky is working with.

#4. “Dead Troops Talk”, Jeff Wall ($3,666,500 – May 2012)

• This 1992 photomontage by Canadian photographer Wall shows a a group of Soviet soldiers talking to each other after being killed in the Soviet-Afghan war in 1986.

#3. “Untitled #96”, Cindy Sherman ($3,890,500 – May 2011)

• This 1981 image is another one of Sherman’s many conceptual self portraits.

#2. “Rhein II”, Andreas Gursky ($4,338,500 – Nov. 2011)

• This 1999 photo was part of a set of 6 images depicting the Rhine River in Europe. Gursky used digital editing to remove extra details, such as dog walkers and a factory building.

#1. “Phantom”, Peter Lik ($6,500,000 – Nov. 2014)

• This 1999 photo by Australian artist Lik depicts the Antelope Canyon, in Arizona.

What do you think?

Write two brief paragraphs. In the first, explain which of these photographs you think deserves to be the world’s most expensive – and explain why. Give at least three reasons (you can discuss composition, elements & principles, historical significance, and your own personal opinion).

In the second paragraph, explain which of these photographs you think is least deserving of being one of the world’s most expensive. Give at least two reasons.