--- description: Photographer Peter Lik has sold a print for a cool $6.5 million title: This Is Officially the Most Expensive Photo Ever image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3da7415acf080876/69876e168e0601e9ce459276/lik-usa-peter-liks-phantom.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Is Officially the Most Expensive Photo Ever by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 10, 2014 8:29 PM CUT  Peter Lik's Phantom photo was sold for an unprecedented $6.5 million and is the most expensive photograph in history. Peter Lik's Phantom photo was sold for an unprecedented $6.5 million and is the most expensive photograph in history.Peter Lik—PRNewsFoto by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 10, 2014 8:29 PM CUT Australian landscaper photographer Peter Lik has set a new world record after a private unnamed collector purchased one of his photos for[ an unprecedented $6.5 million](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/legendary-photographer-peter-lik-shatters-world-record-with-65-million-sale-of-phantom-300006716.html "undefined"). The black-and-white image, called “Phantom,” was taken in Arizona’s Antelope Canyon, _the Guardian_ [reports](http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/dec/10/most-expensive-photograph-ever-hackneyed-tasteless "undefined"). The record for most expensive photo ever sold was previously held by Andreas Gursky’s “Rhein II.” In 2011, it [sold](http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2011/11/most-expensive-photo-world/44772/ "undefined") for $4.3 million. ### The Most Beautiful Wildfire Photos You'll Ever See  The Meadow Fire burns overnight near Half Dome in Yosemite National Park early Monday September 8, 2014\. As of Wednesday the fire had burned over 4,500 acres and was 10% contained. Stuart Palley  The Meadow Fire burns at dawn near Half Dome in Yosemite National Park early Monday September 8, 2014\. As of Wednesday the fire had burned over 4,500 acres and was 10% contained. Stuart Palley  The Meadow Fire burns overnight near Half Dome in Yosemite National Park early Monday September 8, 2014\. As of Wednesday the fire had burned over 4,500 acres and was 10% contained. Stuart Palley  The Meadow Fire burns overnight near Half Dome in Yosemite National Park early Monday September 8, 2014\. As of Wednesday the fire had burned over 4,500 acres and was 10% contained. Stuart Palley  The Meadow Fire burns at dawn near Half Dome in Yosemite National Park early Monday September 8, 2014\. As of Wednesday the fire had burned over 4,500 acres and was 10% contained. Stuart Palley  The Meadow Fire burns at dawn near Half Dome in Yosemite National Park early Monday September 8, 2014 as rain moves in from the south. As of Wednesday the fire had burned over 4,500 acres and was 10% contained. Stuart Palley  The Meadow Fire burns overnight near Half Dome in Yosemite National Park early Monday September 8, 2014\. As of Wednesday the fire had burned over 4,500 acres and was 10% contained. Stuart Palley  The Meadow Fire burns at dawn near Half Dome in Yosemite National Park early Monday September 8, 2014\. As of Wednesday the fire had burned over 4,500 acres and was 10% contained. Stuart Palley  The Meadow Fire burns overnight near Half Dome in Yosemite National Park early Monday September 8, 2014\. As of Wednesday the fire had burned over 4,500 acres and was 10% contained. Stuart Palley  The Meadow Fire burns at dawn near Half Dome in Yosemite National Park early Monday September 8, 2014\. As of Wednesday the fire had burned over 4,500 acres and was 10% contained. Stuart Palley _Read next:_ [_TIME Picks the Top 10 Photos of 2014_](http://time.com/3572139/time-top-10-photos-2014/?xid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3628565/most-expensive-photo-peter-lik/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3628565/most-expensive-photo-peter-lik/"},"headline":"This Is Officially the Most Expensive Photo Ever","datePublished":"2014-12-10T20:29:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:48:15.936Z","description":"Photographer Peter Lik has sold a print for a cool $6.5 million","url":"https://time.com/3628565/most-expensive-photo-peter-lik/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Art","photography"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3da7415acf080876/69876e168e0601e9ce459276/lik-usa-peter-liks-phantom.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Grossman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3da7415acf080876/69876e168e0601e9ce459276/lik-usa-peter-liks-phantom.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Peter Lik's Phantom photo was sold for an unprecedented $6.5 million and is the most expensive photograph in history.","caption":"Peter Lik's Phantom photo was sold for an unprecedented $6.5 million and is the most expensive photograph in history.","creditText":"Peter Lik—PRNewsFoto","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3628565/most-expensive-photo-peter-lik/","name":"This Is Officially the Most Expensive Photo Ever"}}]}] ```