Richard Prince's 'Untitled (Cowboy)' Sets $1.25 Million World Auction Record for Photography

On November 9, 2005, Christie's auctioned Richard Prince's 1989 photograph 'Untitled (Cowboy)' for $1,248,000, marking a new world record for photography at auction and surpassing Prince's previous high. This sale represented the first instance of a photograph reaching over one million dollars at auction. A group of eighteen art experts deliberated on its importance, with Philippe Garner raising concerns about the limited audience influencing photographic history. Brian Appel pointed out its reflection on American mythology. Experts were taken aback that a contemporary piece outperformed vintage photographs. Thea Westreich noted that a Man Ray image had also crossed the million-dollar threshold, prompting discussions on the evolving nature of photography and market trends, with forecasts of future record sales.