Today's technology has made photography ubiquitous. Anyone with a smartphone or tablet can instantly snap a photo that is not only plastered on social media but could also be used in news stories, hung on the wall as art or even fill the pages of books.
However, there's one thing that the vast majority of people taking photos today will probably never do: make a ton of money off of their photos. It's very unlikely that any tween with a smartphone will come close to achieving the monetary success of Peter Lik's photo "Phantom," which just sold for $6.5 million.
You read that right. Lik's photo of a specter-like beam of light shining through Arizona's Antelope Canyon is now the most expensive photo ever sold. The record previously belonged to Andreas Gursky's 1999 photo "Rhein II," which sold for $4,338,500 at Christie's in 2011. Gursky also held the top spot before that transaction with his 2001 photo "99 Cent II Diptychon," which sold for $3,346,456 at Sotheby's London in 2007.
The black-and-white version of the photo is the one that raked in beaucoup bucks, but in case you've got money to burn, you can request a quote for the original version of the photo titled "Ghost" on Lik's website.
Though Lik's photo is definitely striking and a $6.5 million sale is certainly impressive, some question the validity of the sale. PetaPixel's Allen Murabayashi is one skeptic, and he writes:
"As with his 2010 piece, One, the purported sale was to a private collector, and therefore there was no way to verify the claim. Rumors have swirled for years that Lik's investors 'buy' his works at absurd prices as a marketing stunt to generate interest in his work. Lik has multiple galleries in the US and in his home country of Australia, and aggressive sales tactics are a hallmark of the galleries' style."
Photographer Scott Reither also described once fiercely selling Lik's work in his Las Vegas gallery in a 2012 blog post. Still, these are just rumors, but it does seem like Lik enjoys publicity. In the past, he's described himself as the "world's most influential fine art photographer" and "one of the most important artists of the 21st century," according to The Washington Post. He also had his own short-lived reality show called From the Edge With Peter Lik.
But one thing is for sure: Art critics are generally not fans of Lik's work. Most of the authors of stories covering the big sale do not look upon his mega-earnings very favorably since many people don't think the piece is that impressive. Oh well. Whatever the critics say, Lik is laughing all the way to the bank.
