Jeff Wall photo of Steves farm nets $140,000
A 1980 photo of Coun. Harold Steves farm sold for $140,000 at Vancouver Art Gallery's auction Saturday—netting the highest price of more than 70 artworks that were under the gavel.
"I looked at that and said, 'Wow. I could have taken that picture,'" said Steves with a laugh Tuesday. "They made more money taking pictures of the farm than we do working on the farm."
Steves Farm, Steveston is an archival print on paper created by Vancouver artist Jeff Wall, measuring 33 by 123 centimetres. The photo is one of a handful of panoramic landscapes made by the famed artist, examining man's presence in the land.
Wall captured the image of the Steveston farm from the West Dyke, north of Steves' 1917 farmhouse. One of the horses in the picture, Misty, just died last year, Steves said.
Steves' farm still exists today, but homes are now being built around it.
Although he doesn't know the artist, Steves said he's known about the image for years, as people have sent him pictures they've snapped of the work, which has been exhibited around the world.
"I've had postcards from Germany, New York, Los Angeles—it's travelled the world," he said.
Wall, 65, became famous for his back-lit photo transparencies—creating his first in 1977. Wall used a cast and crew to stage the images, referring to his large-scale work as cinematography.
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