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    Record for any photo sold at auction set in NYC

    NEW YORK (AP) — A 1999 photograph of the Rhine river by German artist Andreas Gursky has sold for $4.3 million in New York City, setting a record for any photograph sold at auction.

    Titled "Rhein II," the chromogenic color print face-mounted to acrylic glass, had a pre-sale estimate of $2.5 million to $3.5 million.

    It sold Tuesday at Christie's. The buyer was not disclosed.

    The previous record for any photography sold at auction was Cindy Sherman's "Untitled," which fetched $3.8 million at Christie's in May.

    Gursky's panoramic image of the Rhine is one of an edition of six photographs. Four are in major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate Modern in London.

    What do you think?

    What is the draw of luxury items?

    Status Quality
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    7,885 people have answered this question.

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    • Kozzy  •  6 mths ago
      P.T. Barnum comes to mind... :/
    • Brickell Princess  •  Miami, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Right click, save as.... viola! I got the same picture for free!
      • Nan 6 mths ago
        Fantastic! This will have me laughing all weekend.....needed that. Thx.
      • Moe H 6 mths ago
        AHHHHHHHHHH............. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
        Dude thas fkkin hilarious!
      • Me 6 mths ago
        not as big though
    • burned server  •  6 mths ago
      see !!... there's absolutely nothing wrong with the economy !! everyone just needs to find an idiot to buy their reject pictures the dog accidently took while barking at a stranger.
      • Land of the Greedy 6 mths ago
        Just because some rich person bought some overpriced photo doesn't mean there's nothing wrong with the economy.
      • John Doe 6 mths ago
        Lol.. true, but on the reverse, he dosent mean the economy is fine, he is giving the solution, just take a pic and sell it for 4 mil, and tada! economy fixed for you
    • Aaron Sheffield  •  Cedar Rapids, United States  •  6 mths ago
      can someone please tell me why that is worth all the millions. It is a pic of a river.
      • shawn 6 mths ago
        I believe it must be the name of the person who took it,but there could more in this drab photo?
      • David 6 mths ago
        Because I peed there...LOL
      • Miss 6 mths ago
        It's the price you pay for the photographer's reputation. If you want to make a lot of money, build up a great reputation and then capitalize on it.
    • Silverback  •  Wurzburg, Germany  •  6 mths ago
      4.3 million dollars for that?? Gimme a break!
      • shawn 6 mths ago
        Could have helped thousands of down and out people,and still bought a nicer photo of something worthy,instead of a boring river,maybe it is art by a certain person,but not to any normal photo person
      • David 6 mths ago
        The buyer must have been experiencing the manic phase of a bipolar disorder and was doing a binge shopping spree when he stumbled onto this one. Wait until the mania settles and the depression starts to kick in when he looks at what he bought!
      • cindy 6 mths ago
        Boy Ive got a suitcase full of old pictures. Send em my way. I could use 4.3 million bucks. And so could just about anyone else.
    • Vivelena  •  Atlanta, United States  •  6 mths ago
      To the writer of this article: We as readers need to know why a photograph sold for millions of dollars. You need to explain to your readers what the qualities would be of a photo that can be sold for such a large sum!?! We could probably take it better if it was painted by the hand of such greats as Picasso, Van Gogh, etc.
    • Neo  •  Charleston, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Why is it worth that? Can anyone tell me that?
    • burned server  •  6 mths ago
      a case of more money than brains....
    • Liberal Patriot  •  Scranton, United States  •  6 mths ago
      If you enlarge this photo and look at it under a magnifying glass, in the distant background you will see Kim Kardashian having carnal knowlege with a yak. That's why it's so valuable.
    • Bill H.  •  Phoenix, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Ansel Adams is turning over in his grave.
    • gadfly05  •  6 mths ago
      Some people have far more money than brains.
    • The Dude  •  Indianapolis, United States  •  6 mths ago
      I worked in an art museum for 25years. I've seen good and i've seen bad. But this is nothing but a piece of very over priced crap!!!
    • zed  •  Newark, United States  •  6 mths ago
      I have a photo of a glass of water for sale, Cheap!!! First 2.5 million takes it.
    • SantaFeJack  •  Santa Fe, United States  •  6 mths ago
      It sure would be better journalism if the story had included at least a small explanation explaining the significance of this photograph, and why the price was record-breaking. Maybe juxtaposing "journalism" and "Yahoo!" is an oxymoron.
    • Bryanna  •  6 mths ago
      my dad has a picture he took of the rhine too..... except it has a pair of burning german tanks in the foreground. now open for bids.......
    • LilMissCantBeWrong  •  6 mths ago
      A pool and his money are soon farted.
    • KeF  •  Honolulu, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Holy sh..! I took a similar picture of the Rhine and it's absolutely worthless! Tell me Yahoo what's so special about this one? It's one of 6? It's mounted on glass? I don't get it.
    • Larry  •  6 mths ago
      Wtf?
    • harp  •  Pocatello, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Anybody can take a picture of a river with a decent Canon Rebel so why is this one worth so much? It's not as if the photographer painting it by hand.
    • Denny  •  6 mths ago
      Unbelievable. If you bought this pic and are reading this you are a fool and have shut for brains.
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