Rhein II
Photographer: Andreas Gursky
Date: 1999
Location: Rhine River, Düsseldorf, Germany
Andreas Gursky photographed the Rhine River near Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1999, then digitally altered the image by removing a meadow and a factory to create a simplified, almost abstract composition of bands of color: sky, river, and grass. The result appears serene and monumental, stripped of any human clutter. A large-format chromogenic print measuring approximately 185 x 363 centimeters sold at Christie's New York in November 2011 for $4,338,500 — making it at the time the most expensive photograph ever sold at auction. Gursky is known for his large-format photographs that often comment on capitalism, globalization, and the landscape of modernity. 'Rhein II' has provoked debate about whether heavily digitally manipulated photographs constitute traditional photographic art.
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