A photographic diptych of an American supermarket by Andreas Gursky has broken the record for the worldu2019s most expensive photograph.

A photographic diptych of an American supermarket by Andreas Gursky has broken the record for the world?s most expensive photograph.

99 Cent II, Diptych (2001) sold for £1,700,000 ($3,351,720) in auction at Sotheby?s last week, breaking the record of $2,928,000 previously held by a 1904 Edward Steichen print entitled ?The Pond ? Moonlight?.

The photo was part of a contemporary art sale on the 7th February billed as the most successful ever staged in Europe with sales totalling over £45 million

The work, one in an edition of six, depicts the cluttered interior of a discount store, featuring oversaturated colours and enough detail to overwhelm the viewer. The image has been digitally distorted, almost eliminating perspective, as with much of Gursky?s other work.

Gursky, a German photographer born in 1955, is known for his objective, documentary-like studies of the everyday. His large-format photos have captured scenes like apartment buildings, concert crowds and the floor of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Image © Andreas Gursky

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