A photograph of the Rhein river taken in 1999 by the German photographer, Andreas Gursky, has become the most expensive image in the world, fetching 4.3 million dollars from an anonymous buyer at an auction hosted by Christie’s New York. The large-format Rhein II depicts the shores of the river and is part of a renowned series of six abstract landscapes. The series was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Munich and Melbourne. With this sale, Gursky dethrones the previous record holder, Cindy Sherman, whose 1982 self-portrait, Untitled, sold at another Christie’s auction in May for $3.89m.
Jonas Cuénin
