Peter Lik, the Australian landscape photographer whose works sell like hotcakes in the tourist traps of Las Vegas, announced the sale of his record piece for $6.5 million on September 12, 2014. It seems Phantombeat world records set by Andreas Gursky and the likes of Cindy Sherman. The sale was reported by a hoard of newspapers but doubts quickly ensued. Art consultant David Hulme warned of such so-called investments, stating, “Peter Lik's photographs have no secondary market presence or value." But Peter Lik counts Oprah Winfrey amongst his collectors, and told The New York Times; “I’m the world’s most famous photographer”.
A shrewd game
In The New York Times, David Segal highlights Lik’s marketing strategy. Almost every Lik photograph is printed in a “limited edition” of 995. Prices usually start at $4,000 for the first print, increasing as the edition sells. This encourages buyers to invest earlier on. But for Phantom, Lik forged a careful plan. The swirling dust in Antelope Canyon in Arizona would be a record in one single print, and would receive a rapturous applause through the media.
Nevertheless, many media sources were immediately wary of the overly orchestrated news release. The Sydney Morning Herald queried the proof of any transaction at all. Whereas Artnet News questioned its artistic quality, on top of that the buyer remains anonymous. Hollywood agent Joshua Roth represents the buyer, and has added to the hype, confirming that the sale had taken place whilst refusing to divulge any more information.
The most unexpected response came from another photographer. Jeff Frost pretended to be the real record-breaker, having sold Standing in the Circle for $6.5 million and tactfully asked the buyer for another ten centimes in order to beat his rival. Most likely a practical joke.
Conclusion: even Wikipedia is not sure. The listing of the most expensive photographs in the world does not mention Peter Lik or Jeff Frost (the French list includes Peter Lik’s One in 15th position, which has disappeared from the English list). The site awards the official record breaker as Andreas Gursky with $4.3 million for Rhein II.
