Rhein II

Andreas Gursky, a German visual artist, created Rhein II in 1999 as a color photograph. Under a cloudy sky, a river (the Lower Rhine) flows horizontally across the field of vision, between flat green fields. The artist used computer editing to remove extraneous elements such as dog walkers and a factory building. A print was auctioned off for $4.3 million (then £2.7 million) in 2011, making it the most expensive photograph ever sold.

The photograph was created as the second (and largest) in a series of six representing the Rhine. The Lower Rhine flows horizontally across the scene, between flat green fields, under an overcast sky. It was shot near Düsseldorf, where Gursky had previously photographed in 1996.

On November 8, 2011, the collector sold the print at Christie's New York for an estimated $2.5–3.5 million. It actually sold for $4,338,500 (about £2.7m at the time); the buyer's identity has not been revealed.

Tate, a British network of art museums, purchased Gursky's fifth print of the photograph in 2000, which is identical but slightly smaller at 156.4 cm 308.3 cm (61.6 in 121.4 in). It is still in their collection but is not on display. Another print of the same size can be found at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, although it is not in a public exhibit.

Artist: Andreas Gursky

Price: $4.3 million