The Andreas Gursky 'Rhein II' photograph recently sold at a Christie's auction for a record $4.3 million, beating the previous record of $3.8 million.
The Andreas Gursky 'Rhein II' picture is worth more than a thousand words. In fact, it is worth more than $4.3 million, not too shabby for an extremely minimalist (and somewhat boring) landscape shot. The German born photographer is well known for his architecture and landscape color photographs. Surprisingly, Gursky is no stranger to selling multimillion dollar photographs. At a Sotheby's London auction in 2007, a Gursky photograph fetched a whopping $3.3 million, which was a world record at the time.
Safe to say Gursky will be financially stable as long as collectors keep shelling out millions for his work.
$4.3 Million Photos
The Andreas Gursky 'Rhein II' is the World's Most Expensive Picture
Trend Themes
1. Expensive Fine Art Photography - The high prices commanded by fine art photography create opportunities for disruption via the use of new technologies, such as blockchain-based ownership platforms, which could make it even easier for more people to invest in this asset class.
2. Minimalist Aesthetic - The success of the Andreas Gursky photograph suggests that there is continued demand for art that is highly minimalist in style.
3. Multimillion Dollar Art as Investment - The growing trend of multimillion dollar art purchases as investments creates opportunities for disruption, such as by offering fractional ownership in art, which could make it easier for more people to own a piece of the art world.
Industry Implications
1. Fine Art Photography - The fine art photography industry is an obvious beneficiary of the growing trends of high-value sales and increased demand for highly minimalist art.
2. Blockchain-based Ownership Platforms - Blockchain-based ownership platforms could disrupt the fine art industry by making art investments more accessible to a wider range of investors.
3. Fractional Ownership - Fractional ownership could disrupt the fine art industry by making it easier for more people to invest in high-value fine art, democratizing what was once exclusively the purview of the ultra-wealthy elite.