Isn't the purchase of an expensive work of art merely one way to 'park' some excess money which is perceived as a better way than parking it in the bank, or some other investment?
The fact that the purchaser is anonymous in this instance, and that the price is not only a record-breaker in the photographic world but a very excessive price for a mere photograph, raises the speculation of all sorts of collusion that might have taken place.
Most people, including myself, would struggle to understand how anyone could genuinely fork out $6.5 million for something that can be reproduced countless times. A photograph of a painting is not a painting. But a photograph of a photograph is still a photograph.
Nevertheless, when people own far more wealth than they can practically use, a sum of $6.5 million might be spent with the same concern that a less wealthy person might spend 650 dollars, and the photograph is certainly interesting, perhaps even fascinating for some.
One piece of information about this photograph, Phantom, that I've been unable to find, is its size. Andreas Gursky's Rhein II, which sold for $4.3 million, was huge, 73" x 143" (approx. 6ft x 12ft).
What's the size of this $6.5 million phantom from Lik? Is size irrelevant?