Dear photo of the Rhine. The most expensive photograph in the world. Brief overview of the country's resorts

The photograph "Rhein II" by German photographer Andreas Gursky sold on November 8 at Christie's for $4.34 million. This is a new world record price for photography. The previous one was Untitled #96 by photographer Cindy Sherman, which fetched $3.89 million at auction.

The lot description does not explain why this seemingly simple and boring photograph is worth so much money. What can I say, art is art.

Andreas Gursky's calling card is large panoramic photographs. Since the second half of the 90s, he has been processing them on a computer to achieve better detail and change the color scheme. In some cases, unnecessary elements are eliminated from the photograph or new elements are added (photo collage). Initially, photographs are taken with a large format 4x5" camera (frame size 9x12 cm).

Among Gursky's most famous works is the photograph 99 Cents (1999). It shows the aisles of a 99 cent supermarket filled with huge amounts of merchandise. The picture amazes with its colors and detail. According to experts, it creates an indescribable impression of “the fetishism of our material world in a post-capitalist landscape.”

The effect of bright colors is enhanced by the use of chromogenic color printing, as well as digital editing: reflection of products on the ceiling is added and the color scheme of products is aligned to enhance the impression of repetition.

"99 Cents" (2001). Width - 3.36 m, height - 2.07 m

The detail of Gursky's photographs apparently allows you to look at each product in this three-meter painting and look at it for an infinitely long time.

Here is a small fragment of the photo measuring 2790 x 1835 pixels.

Two years after creating his most famous work at that time, Gursky presented a diptych of two photographs under the same title. By the way, it was purchased at Sotheby’s auction in 2007 by Ukrainian millionaire Victor Pinchuk, and then it was a world record for the cost of a photograph. As you can see, this is not the first time Gursky has set such records.

Diptych "99 cents" (2001).

Buying works of art is considered a good investment because they steadily increase in value. The authenticity of the copy is confirmed by the signature of the author.

Another famous work of Gursky is a photograph of the Japanese neutrino detector (Kamiokande, 2007). Fifty thousand tons of crystal clear water and more than 11 thousand gold photomultiplier tubes create a fantastic picture, and even in full size you will not immediately notice the figures of two physicists checking the condition of the instrument.

In fact, due to extensive digital processing, Gursky's work cannot be called photographs in the full sense. For example, in the same image “Rhine II”, any traces of industrial intervention in the landscape have been carefully removed in the editor. Thus, the artist constructs his own ideal reality, and thanks to this, his works are no longer sold as photographs, but as works of contemporary art.

"99 Cents" (2001). Width - 3.36 m, height - 2.07 m

The detail of Gursky's photographs apparently allows you to look at each product in this three-meter painting and look at it for an infinitely long time.

Here is a small fragment of the photo measuring 2790 x 1835 pixels.

Diptych "99 cents" (2001).

Buying works of art is considered a good investment because they steadily increase in value. The authenticity of the copy is confirmed by the signature of the author.

In recent years, Vietnam has been worthy competition for Thailand, so we can say that this direction is also becoming widespread. What attracts tourists to this country? The Vietnamese, who are friendly towards Russian holidaymakers, remember the assistance provided by the USSR peacekeeping troops during the war, which ended in 1975. The cordiality and hospitality with which the residents of this country greet our compatriots is certainly captivating. To this you can add the beauty of beaches and nature, exotic dishes and, of course, comfortable hotel facilities. Even hotels of inexpensive categories (2*, 3*) are distinguished by excellent service and decent number of rooms. The article will talk about one of these hotels - “Golden Rhine” 2* (Nha Trang, Vietnam).

What do tourists need to know when going to Vietnam?

The only negative point that travelers will have to put up with is a long flight (for example, from Moscow the travel time will be about 9 hours). But, as noted in numerous reviews about holidays in this country, this discomfort is worth it.

Vietnam will definitely evoke associations with our country's Soviet past. Here, too, there is a mausoleum with a leader, cheerful and friendly pioneers with red ties, red flags on administrative buildings, low prices for food and entertainment. The absence of visa requirements for Vietnam for Russians whose stay in this country will not exceed 15 days also simplifies the opportunity to visit the country.

You can relax in the resort of Nha Trang all year round. However, it is better to avoid visiting this place in October and November - the period is officially considered the rainy season. The rest of the year there is a fairly dry and warm tropical climate - average daytime temperatures are about 27 ° C, the water on the coast of the South China Sea warms up to approximately the same levels. Surfing fans come here from November to May - during this period quite strong winds blow, and in choppy seas you can catch an excellent wave.

Brief overview of the country's resorts

Vietnam is most often divided into northern, southern and central. If you are a connoisseur of exciting excursion programs, then you need to go to the provinces located in the north of the country. Here you can see numerous temple buildings, religious and cultural attractions, nature reserves and the capital of the country - the city of Hanoi. The north of the country is especially wonderful in mid-spring, when everything is literally strewn with flowers and fragrant shrubs; The tea and coffee plantations shimmer with marvelous greenery, and the gentle sun does not yet create intense heat.

In the center of the country you can see endless beaches, and Da Nang is famous for its discos and clubs. In the south of Vietnam there is the fashionable island of Phu Quoc, where connoisseurs of luxury and relaxation come. Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang are located in the same part of the state. The latter is more related to youth recreation; the resort has many bars, cafes, and disco clubs. Lovers of a relaxing holiday flock to Phan Thiet, which is also located in the south of the country.

Nha Trang - holidays for every taste

The main thing is to choose the right location of the hotel. It should be remembered that the largest infrastructure is located in the center of the resort. The beaches here are crowded, which cannot be said about the outskirts of Nha Trang, which stretches for 7 km along the seashore.

Young people come here to hang out in clubs, parents with children find a variety of entertainment (on Monkey Island, in amusement parks), older people choose quiet areas of the resort (for example, near the northern beach of Hon Chong).

The hotel base in Nha Trang (as well as throughout Vietnam) has a relative star rating system. Hotels of the highest category are located on the first line of the coast, while the rest are on the second (across the road from the sea). You can get comfortable accommodation by booking even an inexpensive 2-3* hotel. By the way, “Golden Rhine” 2* (Vietnam, Nha Trang) is positioned on many booking sites as a 3* hotel. All hotels have hot water and Wi-Fi, which has become an integral part of life for most of us.

Features and location of the hotel "Golden Rhine" 2* (Nha Trang)

This is an urban hotel, which (like other similar hotels) does not have its own territory. Most reviews of the "Golden Rhine" 2* in Nha Trang note the very convenient location of the hotel - in the very center of the European quarter, on the second coastline (the distance to the beach is about 500 m). The main infrastructure is concentrated nearby: large stores, shopping centers, markets, clubs and restaurants, a water park.

The tall, modern, pink building stands out against the background of other buildings in the area. It meets all safety requirements, is built from environmentally friendly materials, and has an outdoor pool on the roof.

Accommodation facilities

When describing the 2* Golden Rhine rooms in Nha Trang, tourists note that the order in all categories was perfect. You can choose one of the following types of placement:

Superior.
Suite.
Deluxe.

The first two types of rooms differ in size (the suite is slightly larger than the superior). The deluxe room also has a Jacuzzi in the bathroom. All rooms have a very modern appearance and uniform design. The design can be attributed to the style of classical minimalism, harmoniously combined with folk decorative elements.

The rooms are comfortably furnished, the beds have medium-hard mattresses, modern TV with satellite channels, safes, air conditioning, telephones, Wi-Fi, and a minibar. The last piece of furniture is refillable at an additional cost, and our savvy tourists used it as a refrigerator.

Bathrooms are equipped with toilets, sinks, showers, hair dryers, and cosmetic accessories. All guests are given slippers.

Catering for tourists

Like many other hotels in Vietnam, the Golden Rhine 2* (Nha Trang) only offers breakfast to tourists. Many people like this because they are not “tied” to the hotel and can have lunch and dinner in any place they like. By the way, there are a lot of them. Vacationers often visit restaurants with Russian or European cuisine, which is more familiar to us.

In the restaurant of the 2* Golden Rhine Hotel you can try both traditional and international dishes. Travelers with children note that the breakfasts were very high quality, nutritious and varied. For young guests, the range of dishes is not limited to porridges and cereals; you can also choose other dietary dishes (for example, light soup, pastries, etc.). Fresh food is delivered to the kitchen daily; no cases of poisoning have been recorded at this hotel.

This wonderful beach...

Judging by the reviews of the 2* Golden Rhine hotel in Nha Trang, you can walk to the sea in 5-7 minutes at a leisurely pace. The beach is municipal, so umbrellas and sun loungers can be used for an additional fee (the cost of renting a sun lounger will cost 40,000 dong, at the exchange rate of approximately 100 rubles). The area is very clean and well-groomed, covered with light, fine sand. The entry into the sea is gentle, this fact is very popular with parents vacationing at the resort with small children.

A little further (if you travel by bus) there are two more beaches: Paragon and Ponagar. The first one is compared to Anapa and it is recommended to go there with children, and on the second one you can rent a boat and go on a short excursion along the coast.

What place does the hotel take in the ranking?

"Golden Rain" 2* in Nha Trang receives a solid "four" out of five possible points on the main booking sites (booking.com, tophotels.ru). The hotel's infrastructure, its location and service allow us to speak of an excellent price/quality ratio. Many tourists were pleased with the opportunity to relax on the roof of the hotel near the pool, where a breathtaking view of the city and the sea opens. Others were pleasantly surprised by the presence of a fitness center with modern equipment. After your workout, you can use the sauna. The food was also not satisfactory; most tourists were satisfied with the variety of dishes and their quality.

Many people say that the hotel does not correspond to the declared 2* category. In terms of all the opportunities provided for vacationers and service, it can be safely put on the same level as 3-4* hotels.

Sometimes photographers amaze us with their art, their ability to uniquely reflect the world around us and make us look at it from a different angle. And sometimes they do something completely disgusting or so ordinary that it is impossible to understand why the work is recognized as a masterpiece. One way or another, these photographs were sold for millions of dollars.

1. Rain II (1999)

Andreas Gursky is a famous German photographer; he has many photographs that were later sold for incredible amounts of money. In 1999, he took the photograph "Rhine II", which shows the Rhine River between two dams under a majestic overcast sky. In total, Gursky created six images of the Rhine, and "Rhine II" is the largest photograph in the series.

The most amazing thing about the photo is that it was made using Photoshop: initially the background was “spoilt” by a power plant, port facilities and a passerby walking his dog - all of this was removed by Gursky, leaving only the Rhine itself and the dams.

Gursky commented on his actions: "Paradoxically, this view of the Rhine could not be obtained in situ; modification was necessary to provide an accurate image of the modern river."

After finalization, the photographer printed a photograph measuring 185.4 x 363.5 cm, mounted it on acrylic glass and placed it in a frame. The photograph was sold at Christie's in New York for $4,338,500 in 2011 - the buyer was the Monika Sprüth gallery in Cologne, and the photograph was subsequently resold to an unknown collector.

2. Untitled #96 (1981)

American photographer Cindy Sherman works in the technique of staged photographs. Her work is widely known among the arts community, and she is ranked seventh on ArtReview's 2011 list of the 100 Most Influential People in the Art World. Sherman herself calls herself a performance artist and categorically refuses to recognize herself as a photographer.

One of her most famous and expensive works is photograph #96, taken in 1981: the picture shows a girl, freckled, with red hair and wearing bright orange clothes, lying on her back and looking into the distance. According to Sherman, the photograph carries a deep meaning - a teenage girl, at the same time seductive and innocent, holds in her hand a piece of newspaper with dating advertisements, which means that the still fragile female essence is looking for a way to break out.

The photograph was purchased at a Christie’s auction in 2011 by an unknown collector.

3. For Her Majesty, a collage of photographs (1973)

British artists Gilbert Prosch and George Passmore work in the genre of performance photography. Their works in which they acted as living sculptures brought them worldwide fame.

Their collage of photographs, taken back in 1973, was sold for a lot of money at auction in 2008: black and white photographs depict men in expensive suits combined with interior items. Buyer unknown.

4. “Dead Warriors Speak” (1992)

Canadian photographer Jeff Wall is known for his large-format photographs: the artist’s “calling card” is the technique he developed for printing photographs on a transparent basis.

His most famous work, “Dead Warriors Speak,” was created under the influence of the war in Afghanistan. Despite the realism, this is a staged photograph: all the people in the picture are guest actors. When working on it, Wall used makeup and costumes, and the photo itself was taken in a photo studio and later processed on a computer.

The finished image, measuring 229x417 cm, was printed on a transparent base and placed in a plastic box.

5. Untitled (Cowboy) (2001–2002)

Richard Prince is considered one of the most celebrated American artists of his generation. The main themes of his works are stylization of the period of the so-called “American antiquity” and the modern world of consumption. Three photographs brought him world fame, including “Cowboy”.

The photograph was created specifically for the Marlboro advertising campaign: the cowboy in the picture, according to the artist, appears not as a typical standard of American courage glorified in Westerns, but as some kind of illusory sex symbol, an unattainable ideal of a real man.

The painting was sold in 2007 at Christie’s auction.

6. 99 cents II, diptych (2001)

The aforementioned “Rhine II” is not Gursky’s only million-selling photograph: his two-photo work “99 Cents II” sold for less, but still brought in several million more dollars for its creator.

The photographs show a supermarket where consumer goods are displayed. In general, the two photographs are strikingly similar and differ only in angles. Of course, Gursky resorted to computer processing to remove unnecessary details from the photographs - buyers, low-hanging lamps and wires.

The photograph was purchased in 2007 by Ukrainian businessman Viktor Pinchuk. The high cost of the photographs is due, first of all, to the name of the author, which by the time of sale had already acquired enormous fame.

7. Los Angeles (1998)

Another photograph by Gursky depicts the night landscape of Los Angeles - the city from a bird's eye view looks like a field of distant artificial lights. Photography symbolizes the modern world and man’s place in it. According to the artist’s idea, man is the main character of this photograph: everyone lives in a huge world of universal globalization, where he takes the place of just one of millions of the same inhabitants.

8. Lake in the Moonlight (1904)

Impressionist artist Edward Steichen worked in the first half of the 20th century: he created a famous series of portraits of Hollywood celebrities, and later took up documentary filmmaking, for which he received several Oscars.

His most famous photographic work, “Lake in the Moonlight,” is an autochrome photograph: originally a black and white photograph, “Lake” acquired color thanks to Steichen’s use of light-sensitive jelly. No one had used this technology before, so the picture can be considered the world's first color photograph.

In 2006, “Lake in the Moonlight” was sold at Sotheby’s for a huge amount of money. The price can be considered reasonable - the photograph is more than a century old, and it is an excellent preserved illustration of the history of photography.

9. Untitled #153 (1985)

Another example of Cindy Sherman's work is untitled photograph #153. It depicts a dead, mud-stained woman with bluish-gray hair, glassy eyes looking up at the sky, her mouth half-open, and a bruise visible on her cheek. The photo leaves behind an eerie feeling, but, nevertheless, it was sold at auction for a seven-figure sum.

10. Billy the Kid (1879–80)

Billy the Kid was an American criminal accused of killing 21 people. The governor of one of the states of the Wild West offered a large reward for his capture, and Kid was killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett, who then wrote a biography of the thug.

The uniqueness of this photograph is that it is the only image of Billy the Kid; no other photographs exist. It was sold in 2011 at the 22nd annual Brian Lebel's Old West Show & Auction in Denver. Collector William Koch bought it for more than $2 million, although the organizers initially did not expect to receive more than $400 thousand for the photo.

The authorship is attributed to Kid's friend Dan Dedrick, but it is no longer possible to determine exactly who took the photo. The photograph was taken using the ambrotype method, using a metal plate, and the image on it is reflected in a mirror.

The most expensive photographs always evoke curiosity and surprise. Some of them need to be seen in galleries, while the popularity of others is completely inexplicable. What makes buyers pay such sums for photos? See for yourself.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the 15 most expensive photographs in the world.

1. “Phantom” (2014) - $6.5 million.

Australian photographer Peter Lik broke all records last December - his black-and-white photograph entitled “Phantom” was bought for $6.5 million. The same private collector, who preferred to remain anonymous, acquired two more photographs that day - “Eternal Moods” and “Illusion”. The total purchase price was $10 million.

“The purpose of my photographs is to capture the power of nature,” says Leake. "Phantom" is a black and white version of the photo called "Ghost". It depicts Antelope Canyon (Arizona), and the “ghost” is dust swirling in a beam of light.

2. "Rhine II" (1999) - $4.3 million.

German photographer Andreas Gursky is famous for his large-format photographs of architecture and landscapes. In 1999, he took a series of six photographs of the Rhine, the largest and most famous of which was "Rhine II". “For me, this is an allegorical image of the meaning of life,” says the author. To achieve the impression of a desert landscape, he had to remove some elements from the image on the computer: the factory building, pedestrians, cyclists.

A 1.9 x 3.6 m chromogenic acrylic glass print (with a frame that increased the size of the artifact to 2.1 x 3.8 m) was sold at Christie's in 2011 for $4.3 million, buyer's identity unknown.

3. “Untitled No. 96” (1981) - $3.9 million.

The works of Cindy Sherman, famous for her provocative self-portraits, are very popular among collectors. She does not give titles to her photographs, leaving viewers the opportunity to figure out the story depicted themselves. “No. 96” is one of 12 photos in the Centerfold series, commissioned by ArtForum magazine. The heroine in the picture (of course, Sherman herself) is a teenage girl. She holds newspaper clippings of dating advertisements, symbolizing her willingness to leave childhood behind and her desire to find her man.

At one time, “No. 96,” sold at Christie’s for $3.9 million, was the most expensive photograph in the world.

4. “Dead Soldiers Conversation” (1992) - $3.6 million.

Photographer - Jeff Wall

The subtitle explains the story depicted in the photograph - "Vision after an ambush of a Soviet army patrol near Mokor, Afghanistan, winter 1986." However, this is not a real-life photograph: Canadian photographer Jeff Wall (whom Andreas Gursky cited as his role model) was not in Afghanistan. The photo was created in a studio, the people in it are actors. “‘Conversation of Dead Soldiers’ is not a commentary on the Afghan war,” says the author. “I just wanted to create an image of dead soldiers talking to each other, I have no idea why.”

In 2012, again at Christie's, the photograph was sold for $3.6 million.

5. “99 cents.” Diptych" (2001) - $3.3 million.

Photographer - Andreas Gursky

One more, or rather two, works by Andreas Gursky. The two photographs that make up the diptych depict the interior of one of the stores where everything is sold for 99 cents.

Long rows filled with colorful boxes of goods, reflected in the glass ceiling, reinforce the feeling of endless consumerism in modern society.

The 2.07 x 3.37 meter print sold for $3.3 million in 2007.

6. “Lake in the Moonlight” (1904) - $2.9 million.

Photographer - Edward Steichen

The photograph, taken in 1904, shows a lake and a forest with moonlight shining through the trees. At the beginning of the 20th century, color photographs were an exceptional rarity, and the author hand-colored “Lake in the Moonlight” using the autochrome method (potato starch granules filled with paints of different colors were applied to the film). To date, there are only three options for the photo. They all have their own range of shades, since each frame was painted separately.

In 2006, one of them was sold at Sotheby's for $2.9 million.

7. “Untitled No. 153” (1985) - $2.7 million.

Photographer - Cindy Sherman

As Cindy Sherman herself admitted, her main fear is to die a terrible death, and photographs such as No. 153 are an attempt to reconcile herself with it, to prepare for the unthinkable. “You don’t have to be scared and look away,” she says about her photo, “it’s not real, it’s staged, a fairy tale.”

In 2010, the almost two-meter dark photo was sold at auction for $2.7 million.

8. “Billy the Kid” (1879–1880) - $2.3 million

Photographer unknown

A photograph of the famous outlaw Billy the Kid, taken at the end of the 19th century using the ferrotype method, was sold in 2011 to an American collector for $2.3 million. The reason for such a fabulous price is not the special artistic value of the photograph, but its uniqueness - this is the only officially confirmed photograph of Kid.

True, recently the auction house Kagin’s, Inc. announced as authentic another photograph, supposedly showing Billy the Kid playing croquet.

9. “Tobolsk Kremlin” (2009) - $1.7 million.

Photographer - Dmitry Medvedev

A photograph of the Tobolsk Kremlin, taken by Dmitry Medvedev (at that time the President of the Russian Federation), was sold at the “Christmas ABC” charity auction. Usually, paintings painted by famous politicians are put up for sale there. Thus, in 2009, a drawing by Vladimir Putin brought the charity 37 million rubles.

Due to his busy schedule, Dmitry Medvedev did not have time to paint the picture, but suggested as an alternative a photograph of the Tobolsk landmark taken from a bird's eye view. The photo was bought for 51 million rubles.

10. “Nude” (1925) - $1.6 million.

Photographer - Edward Weston

The works of American photographer Edward Weston are characterized by very clear, sharp images, and a desire for unexpected subjects in which everyone can see something of their own. "Nude" (one of Weston's many photographs of nude models) is no exception. Looking at it, you don’t immediately understand what is depicted. Maybe it's a person, or maybe it's a sculpture or an element of the landscape. The model's androgynous shape further emphasizes the abstract beauty of the photo.

In 2008, at Sotheby's auction, they paid $1.6 million for this work.

11. “Georgia O'Keefe. Hands" (1919) - $1.4 million.

Alfred Stieglitz had two passions in his life - photography and Georgia O'Keeffe. Throughout the 50 years of his career, he fought for society to accept photography as an art - with its own language, motives and genres. He fell in love with the artist O’Keeffe through her works, without even seeing her; He left his family for her. More than 300 of his photographs are dedicated to Georgia; eight of the nine Stieglitz photographs put up for auction depict her.

Photo “Georgia O'Keeffe. Hands” was sold in 2006 for $1.4 million, becoming the photographer’s most expensive work.

12. “Georgia O'Keeffe Nude” (1919) - $1.3 million.

Photographer - Alfred Stieglitz

Once again Alfred Stieglitz and his muse, artist Georgia O'Keeffe. One of a series of works dedicated to her naked body. At Sotheby's auction in 2006, $1.3 million was paid for a black-and-white image of the far-from-beautiful Georgia.

13. “Untitled (Cowboy)” (1989) - $1.2 million.

Photographer - Richard Prince

Photographer Richard Prince's interest in art began with a job at Time, Inc., where his job was to cut articles from various magazines that the authors needed. In the end, all that was left was illustrations and advertising, page after page of nothing but images. "Cowboy" is a photograph of a photograph, a re-shot piece of advertising that embodies Prince's fascination with American archetypes. Despite its secondary nature, in 2005 “Cowboy” was sold for $1.1 million.

14. “Dovima and the Elephants” (1955) - $1.15 million.

Photographer - Richard Avedon

“His portraits defined the image of American style, beauty and culture for the second half of the 20th century,” they wrote about Richard Avedon. The heroine of this work is top model Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba, better known as Dovima. The picture, taken at the Winter Circus in Paris in 1955, shows Dovima wearing a black dress with a huge belt. This outfit is the first evening dress designed for Christian Dior by his new assistant, Yves Saint Laurent. In 2010, the photograph was sold at Christie's for $1.15 million.

15. “Eternal Moods” (2014) - $1.1 million.

Photographer - Peter Lik

The collection is completed by the same photographer who opened it - Peter Lik. Just as “Phantom” is a black and white version of “Ghost,” so “Eternal Moods” is a black and white version of “Eternal Beauty.” The inspiration and location for creating an unusual shot was again Antelope Canyon in Arizona. More than $1.1 million was paid for the photograph by the same private collector who also bought the Phantom.

What do you think of all these photos? Tell us in the comments!

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