German artist Andreas Gursky’s image of the desolate Rhine under gray skies. Rhine II
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD.
In November, Christie’s hammered the most expensive photograph ever sold at auction: German artist Andreas Gursky’s image (shown) of the desolate Rhine under gray skies. Rhine II sold for $4.34 million, eclipsing the $3.89 million sale of Cindy Sherman’s Untitled #96.
Gursky stitches and manipulates his images, which he prints in unprecedented scale and in very small editions. Gursky made six prints of Rhine II. Four are in museum collections (including MoMA and Tate Modern), and two are in private collections.