A collector with an interest in art history or photographic history or just history history might pay a high price for an object of historical significance without considering it better than another object. (Neat handwriting on nice paper doesn't make an autograph expensive, or calligraphers' signatures would fetch the highest prices.) Those criteria might fall into your category of "sentimental." So a high price in such cases doesn't offend you, but a high price when craftsmanship is lacking does. Rhein II is a landscape. Is it lacking in craftsmanship? Do you think it's a bad image, and if so, why?
Yes and Gehry's work does command a big price because he is Ghery. He worked very hard to establish a style and look to his designs and success wasn't overnight. When you see one of his designs you can usually tell it's his. If you are building a building and thats what you want the building to look like, you go to him and pay his price. And it will surely have historic significance.
To many think in terms of the one good photograph. One good photograph no more makes a great photographer than one good at bat makes an MVP. It's about bodies of work. Consistent vision. When you look at a photographers or an artists work do you know it's their work? Those are the kinds of things that help drive collectors to collect. Also who are the other artists that they have influenced.
It's usually not the artist of photographer that makes the really big $$$ on their work. They sell through a gallery and the collector might buy for 10K say. The collector saw potential in the piece or pieces and holds on to them for several years and then the collector sells for big $$$ to probably another collector. Many of these kinds of collectors use art as an investment. And one that can pay off if they make the right choices.
