Most expensive photo ever sold?

From what I'm reading, the media doesn't report on all the private sales that take place.  Recently we saw Peter Liks photo that sold for $6.4 million.  Is that the most expensive single photo ever sold?

I believe that that Rhineland River photo sold for an idiotic price above that. I cannot remember. Or it is more like do not want to remember such abject insanity.

Joves wrote: I believe that that Rhineland River photo sold for an idiotic price above that. I cannot remember. Or it is more like do not want to remember such abject insanity.

No, it sold for $4.3 million. Although the Lik sale has apparently become questionable.

Who knows with these sort of sales which is legit.  

I'd like to see what a $6M photo looks like, I saw the Rhineland river one and it absolutely sucked! Had I taken that photo I'd have deleted it!

An auction house or dealer will list and/or announce upcoming auctions and the estimated price range that's expected for the bidding. After the auction usually it'll show the amount of the highest bid that was the final selling price. If it's a significant auction it'll probably be announced publicly, for other auctions the realized prices will usually be listed on the auction website. Here's the listing for the Gursky.

http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/photographs/andreas-gursky-rhein-ii-5496716-details.aspx   

Sometimes a photographer or artist may be represented by an agency so that might provide a way to verify a selling price. With private sales like ones done by Peter Lik in his own galleries there don't seem to be auctions held. I don't know if there's any way to confirm a price if the sale is kept private.  

Good link icepics 

Don Fischer wrote: I'd like to see what a $6M photo looks like, I saw the Rhineland river one and it absolutely sucked! Had I taken that photo I'd have deleted it!

Well, it's certainly not Scottish.

garyrhook wrote:

Joves wrote: I believe that that Rhineland River photo sold for an idiotic price above that. I cannot remember. Or it is more like do not want to remember such abject insanity.

No, it sold for $4.3 million. Although the Lik sale has apparently become questionable.

It still sold for the price stated.  He just used marketing to get that price.

Scotty wrote:

garyrhook wrote:

Joves wrote: I believe that that Rhineland River photo sold for an idiotic price above that. I cannot remember. Or it is more like do not want to remember such abject insanity.

No, it sold for $4.3 million. Although the Lik sale has apparently become questionable.

It still sold for the price stated.  He just used marketing to get that price.

According to Lik he got that price. Whether he actually got that price is in question. While I do not particularly care for the guy, because he is a grandstanding poser, I will give him credit for being great at self promotion, and getting affluent idiots to part with their cash.

Just think of the day when that figure crosses 8 figures.  $10,000,000.  Now that's a party!

I wish they would post that photo on site's like this and have people critique it!

@Don I agree some of these multimillion dollar photos are something else right.

I managed to find a list from Wikipedia :

  Rank Artist Work Price Date Seller/Auction
1 Andreas Gursky Rhein II  (1999) $4,338,500 November 8, 2011 Christie's  New York [1]
2 Cindy Sherman Untitled #96  (1981) $3,890,500 May 2011 Christie's  New York [2] [a]
3 Jeff Wall Dead Troops Talk (A vision after an ambush of a Red Army patrol,near Moqor, Afghanistan, winter 1986) (1992) $3,666,500 May 8, 2012 Christie's  New York [4]
4 Andreas Gursky 99 Cent II Diptychon  (2001) $3,346,456 February 2007 Sotheby 'sLondon auction [5]
5 Edward Steichen The Pond-Moonlight  (1904) $2,928,000 February 2006 Sotheby's New York auction [6]
6 Cindy Sherman Untitled #153  (1985) $2,700,000 November 2010 Phillips de Pury & Co.  New York [2]
7 unknown Billy the Kid  (1879–80)  tintype  portrait $2,300,000 June 2011 Brian Lebel's Old West Show & Auction [7]
8 Dmitry Medvedev Tobolsk Kremlin  (2009) $1,750,000 January 2010 Christmas Yarmarka, Saint Petersburg [8] [9] [10]
9 Edward Weston Nude (1925) $1,609,000 April 2008 Sotheby 'sNew York auction [11]
10 Alfred Stieglitz Georgia O'Keeffe (Hands) (1919) $1,470,000 February 2006 Sotheby's New York auction [6]
11 Alfred Stieglitz Georgia O'Keeffe Nude (1919) $1,360,000 February 2006 Sotheby's New York auction [6]
12 Richard Prince Untitled (Cowboy) (1989) [12] $1,248,000 November 2005 Christie's  New York auction [13]
13 Richard Avedon Dovima  withelephants (1955) $1,151,976 November 2010 Christie's  Paris auction [14]
14 Edward Weston Nautilus  (1927) $1,082,500 April 2010 Sotheby 'sNew York auction [15]
16 Jeff Wall Untangling (1994) $780,000
( A$ 1,000,000) November 2006 The National Gallery of Victoria  [16]
17 Eugène Atget Joueur d'Orgue (1898–1899) $686,500 April 2010 Christie's  New York auction [17]
18 Robert Mapplethorpe Andy Warhol (1987) $643,200 October 17, 2006 Christie's  New York auction [18]
19 Ansel Adams Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico  (1948) [19] $609,600 October 2006 Sotheby's New York auction [20]

Missing Peter Lik

Joves wrote:

Scotty wrote:

garyrhook wrote:

Joves wrote: I believe that that Rhineland River photo sold for an idiotic price above that. I cannot remember. Or it is more like do not want to remember such abject insanity.

No, it sold for $4.3 million. Although the Lik sale has apparently become questionable.

It still sold for the price stated.  He just used marketing to get that price.

According to Lik he got that price. Whether he actually got that price is in question. While I do not particularly care for the guy, because he is a grandstanding poser, I will give him credit for being great at self promotion, and getting affluent idiots to part with their cash.

They confirmed the price, they were saying it was artificially inflated.  His work is good, but not for the prices.  He mastered printing and marketing for sure.