Irish photographer sells potato portrait for $1.08M

PARIS, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- A celebrity photographer said a photo sold to a European businessman for $1.08 million didn't portray any famous figures -- rather, it depicted a simple potato.

Kevin Abosch, 46, an Irish photographer known for his portraits of famous subjects including Malala Yousafzai and Steven Spielberg, said a European businessman spotted "Potato #345" hanging in his Paris apartment last year and purchased the print for $1.08 million -- 1 million euros.

Abosch, who normally charges up to $500,000 for a portrait, said the sale was the biggest of his career.

The photographer said he snapped the photo of an organic Irish potato in 2010 and made three prints -- one for a Serbian museum, one he sold and one he kept for his own collection.

"I see commonalities between humans and potatoes that speak to our relationship as individuals within a collective species," Abosch told the Irish Times. "Generally, the life of a harvested potato is violent and taken for granted. I use the potato as a proxy for the ontological study of the human experience."

Abosch's potato picture would be the 15th most expensive photo ever sold if the price is verified.