The iconic photo The Violin of Ingres by photographer Man Ray was auctioned last weekend for a record price of $12.4 million. That happened at Christie’s auction house in New York. Never before has so much money been put down for a photo.
The auctioned photo is an early print from a private collection. The photo from 1924 shows Man Ray’s then girlfriend, the French singer Kiki de Montparnasse. She can be seen as a violin, with two f-holes on her naked back. It became one of the most famous images of surrealism.
The proceeds significantly exceeded expectations: it is estimated that the work would bring in five to seven million dollars. The most expensive photo to date was Rhine IIa photo of German Andreas Gursky who was hammered for $4.3 million in 2011.
Marilyn Monroe
A week ago it was a record amount laid out in front of a portrait of American actress Marilyn Monroe, taken by pop artist Andy Warhol. It’s about the silkscreen Shot Sage Blue Marilyn.
The proceeds were $170 million, the highest amount ever paid at auction for a work of art from the last century. Monroe’s portrait is also the most expensive American work ever to be auctioned.
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