Rhein II
Photograph by Andreas Gurksy From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rhein II is a colour photograph made by German visual artist Andreas Gursky in 1999.[2] In the image, a river (the Lower Rhine) flows horizontally across the field of view, between flat green fields, under an overcast sky.[3] Extraneous details such as dog walkers and a factory building were removed by the artist using digital editing.[4]
| Rhein II | |
|---|---|
| |
| Artist | Andreas Gursky |
| Year | 1999 |
| Type | Photograph |
| Medium | C-print mounted to acrylic glass |
| Dimensions | 190 cm × 360 cm (73 in × 143 in); [1] |
| Owner | Anonymous |
In 2011, a print was auctioned for $4.3 million (then £2.7m), making it the most expensive photograph sold.[5] Rhein II held the record until 2022, when its price was exceeded by Le Violon d'Ingres.[6]
Production
The photograph was produced as the second (and largest) of a set of six depicting the river Rhine.[2] In the image, the Lower Rhine flows horizontally across the field of view, between flat green fields, under an overcast sky.[3] It was taken near Düsseldorf, at a location Gursky had previously photographed in 1996.[7] Dissatisfied with his earlier image, Gursky "thought about whether I ought perhaps to change my viewpoint ... In the end I decided to digitalise the pictures and leave out the elements that bothered me".[7]
Extraneous details such as dog walkers and a factory building were removed by the artist using digital editing.[4] Justifying this manipulation of the image, Gursky said "Paradoxically, this view of the Rhine cannot be obtained in situ, a fictitious construction was required to provide an accurate image of a modern river."[8] Gursky produced a very large chromogenic colour print of the photograph, mounted it onto acrylic glass, and then placed it in a frame.[8] The image itself measures 73 by 143 inches (190 cm × 360 cm), while the frame measures 81 by 151 inches (210 cm × 380 cm).[1]
Reception and sale
The print was originally acquired by the Galerie Monika Sprüth in Cologne, and subsequently bought by an anonymous German collector.[1] The collector sold the print by auction at Christie's New York on 8 November 2011, who estimated it would fetch a price of $2.5–3.5m.[1] It actually sold for $4,338,500[1] (then about £2.7m); the identity of the buyer has not been revealed.[4]
The work has been described by arts writer Florence Waters in The Daily Telegraph as a "vibrant, beautiful and memorable – I should say unforgettable – contemporary twist on [...] the romantic landscape"[9] and by journalist Maev Kennedy in The Guardian as "a sludgy image of the grey Rhine under grey skies".[4]
Public collections
Gursky's fifth print of the photograph, which is identical but slightly smaller at 156.4 cm × 308.3 cm (61.6 in × 121.4 in), was acquired in 2000 by Tate, a British group of art museums.[7] It remains in their collection but is not on public display.[7] Another print of the same size is held at the Museum of Modern Art, in New York; it is also not on public display.[10]
See also
References
External links
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