David Bowie Paintings
He was a musician, a songwriter, an actor, and a legend. But did you know he started as a painter?
A Soulful Art Legacy: Artworks Made by David Bowie
Just like many others around the globe, I was saddened by the departure of a great artist of our age – David Bowie. I have to admit, though, that my sadness is somehow selfish. I knew it wouldn’t be long until my turn to face the end of this life, just like my favorite artist who sang these songs to me and grew up listening to them. However, there are some artists behind the mask of sadness who are simply prompted to promote their freshly made paintings and prints to profit from shocked fans who want to pay tribute to their hero. On that very same day!
David Bowie’s own art
So, instead of sharing art made on the death of David Bowie, here I would like to share some of his very own body of work. Let’s pay real tribute to him by celebrating his creativity! David Bowie’s paintings show a knowledgeable approach to art, influenced by Frank Auerbach, David Bomberg, Francis Bacon, and Francis Picabia…
German Expressionism
In the spring of 1976, he and Iggy Pop left America ‘and moved to Berlin. They were fleeing the artistic cannibalism of Los Angeles. Berlin gave him access to a new life and new inspirations. And not just about music: Bowie, whose affinity for German Expressionist art far pre-dated his residence in Berlin, executed then a great number of lithographs and many portrait paintings. It had a great influence on his songwriting. He clearly isn’t a master, and there is a technical lack of practice to be seen, but there is also passion and great sensitivity.
“You aren’t dead as long as somebody is thinking about you.” Bertolt Brecht
Squeeze – 1996
DHead series
Bowie painted these DHeads during his career, but it only went public around 1994. This series has approximately 47 works. He painted friends, family, and other musicians for the DHead series, even some self-portraits, but he didn’t identify his subjects. We know for sure the one below is a portrait of Mike Garson.
(Courtesy of Mike Garson – thanks to Mike and Mark)
Bowie’s original art value
An update to talk about the estimated value of his artworks. In 1998, Bowie donated a DHead painting, self-portrait in this case, to the fundraising ARTAID in Edinburgh.
In 2016 an anonymous fan (a film producer) of David Bowie paid £22,500 for it at auction (around 28k $ or 25k €). The estimated value and bid was £3,000-£5,000.
DHead XLVI (46)
Just this hour, June 24 2021, a painting was expected to fetch an estimated $9000 to 12000 USD was sold on the online art auctioneer Cowley Abbot. Price was finally realized at $108120 USD on this page (photos from Cowley Abbot Fine Art).
It was found at a donation center at a landfill in South River, north of Toronto. The anonymous seller paid $5 Canadian for the painting in summer 2020.
Andy Peters, who’s been collecting Bowie autographs since 1978, and shared it on his website since 1978 has been contacted by CNN and authenticated the signature.
Two strange elements yet can be seen:
- The Series number was originally XXXXVI, which is, well, 46 too. It is probably indicating that perhaps David Bowie didn’t know or didn’t want to bother about Roman numerals.
- It is mentioned “Computer collage” in the painting technique and there is clearly no collage.
I don’t imply that there is any doubt about the provenance. I just think it is a sign that Bowie didn’t care about any commercial value or business related to his visual expression.
South African series
An exploration of Bowie’s thoughts on the “white ancestor” story, gleaned from his trip to South Africa. The artist’s quote:
“In 1995 Iman and I took our first trip to South Africa. One of the prevailing stories handed down is that when the first tribes saw the white man they presumed they were being visited by their ancestors, as in their mythology the ancestors appear as a ghost-like white form.”
“Signed Zenzi, it was painted in 1999 and is a protest against hunting in Africa. It was highly regarded as one of Bowie’s favs!” Anonymous
Major Arcana cards series
Five silkscreens after the tarot made by David Bowie inspired this series, which was inspired by the five major tarot cards in Los Angeles in November 1975. The first edition of 50 was only gifted to his family and friends. Then, in the 90s’, a new release of a smaller size and a larger edition was made available to the public.
Representations of the Major Arcana
- “Lovers”, the 22 trump cards,
- “Death”, the 6th trump card,
- “Star” the 13th trump card,
- “Moon” the 18th,
- “Earth” the 21st.
We can easily draw a parallel between the artworks and Bowie’s career phases. Lovers, Death, Star, Moon, Earth as displayed but shuffling them up as Earth, Star, Lovers, Moon and inevitably death and realizing the combinations are endless.
Sketches and studies
Preparatory drawings by David Bowie for different projects, including an unrealised film set in Hunger City, 1974.
David Bowie self-portraits
Painted in 1977, the portrait is displayed in his bedroom in Berlin (8 Feb 1978). It was exhibited at the “David Bowie Is” exhibition in 2014 at the Martin-Gropius-Bau museum in Berlin. And at the “David Bowie Retrospective Exhibition” held at Tennōzu Isle (Japan) in 2017.
Sources:
– TheTelegraph
– Bowieart.com (off since Feb 2017)
– 阿富汗奸细
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One of his favourite pieces of work that he did was called Zenzi. It was a protest piece about hunting of large game in Africa. I have some nice photos of him with it if you’re interested in including it in your list?
Thank you Lawrence, I send you an email today :-)
good man.
Love the Iggy Pop in the park portrait the most and the portrait over his bed in Berlin with him sleeping below. I think his saddest time was when he was addicted to drugs.. after this and when he met Iman he seemed very very happy. What a beautiful smile and laugh he had. So grateful to David Bowie
Sad? This guy was a god, married a goddess, was a thoroughly lovely man and left everyone he met a better person. His musical and lyrical talent combined to form a living legend during his life, and a minor god now he’s gone. Asked often since me married Iman ‘ are you happy?’ His answer was always ‘ deliriously’ .
So no, sad is not the word. His demons weren’t real, they were imps of construction, inspiration and succes. He rode them like a charioteer, they were always his to control.
Overused, I know, but… true ‘genius’
Re; John Greene. There were almost hundreds of biographies written about him and all the ones I saw were largely fictitious especially during his ‘recluse’ years or the 90’s and 00’s. We all know Iman had a doppelganger or two but this is about his art and right til the end he kept us guessing aboutr how real his demons were or if it were all a huge game. Maybe the only thing that mattered to him was the creative mileage he could get from a situation. My friend likened him to the Pied Piper of Hamlyn. Yet it’s my contention that to make great art you have to be obsessed. He said at the (apparent) end of his life he was deliriously and absolutely happy whilst he was executing a type of Jackson Pollock on the floor. He looked it actually and can someone be that good-looking and shining and not feel good inside? I doubt it. His visual art was highly expressive and symbolic with great force but I failed to recognise how he himself saw himself in the self portraits. I thought they were the least successful. Like his music the references in his art are so tantalising, oblique and direct at the same time. I became a fan 47 years ago and he,’s still an enigma and sphinx to me. Selling a wishful life whist living a totally different one.
OMG…. I LOVE THESE… Bowie is a LEGEND.. I love that he was not just about the music all the time. YOU ARE MISSED EVERYDAY… RIP!!!!
Inspiring and soulful, just like the man himself rip DB
Mediocre for a mediocre planet at best
Damn OK dr. Frank-n-Further
It’s only sad if you have no outlet to let those demons out! And we all have our demons don’t we?
Intriguing insight to a very great talent that knew little boundaries. Now I can renew my live if his music with a new perspective.
Great site. Are prints available of any of David’s work?
Thank you David, I saw the Major Arcana card prints sold by Masterpiece London, that’s all. They are limited series and their price or availability are not communicated. Check the link in the article. No affiliation here, never, it was because we shared their images :-)
Hello, I did not realize that Bowie created art until I came across your website. So in American dollars, what is the price range for a Bowie original. I reside in Montreal, Canada by the way. Thank you
Philip Vandelman
Hi Philip, in this case, the value is clearly about the provenance and it is really subjective. The newly discovered Dhead price was finally realized today 24 June 2021 at $108120 USD (I just updated our article about it). So it can be now a reference for all the other DHeads (One was sold 22K in 2016). The price of art is how much it was sold for :-)
Seems he had a lot of demons inside. Very sad!
What a giant of an artist. Sad to lose him is an understatement. However HE truly made a difference in all manner of art worlds. Read his biography , seems honest and will re-I force why you, like me and millions of others couldn’t take our eyes off him. AND, what a laugh he had, filled up a whole room. RIP
David.
John Greene SLC, Utah. Fan, admirer.
John Jones – art comes in many forms – not just the one you have in your own mind. Art is the physical expression of what is in the mind of the artist. Not everyone can appreciate ALL art, but everyone should appreciate the fact that art is individual and an expression of being and individuality. Just because you don’t like David’s style, doesn’t discount the fact that he produced art from his being. I wonder what YOUR art looks like. Maybe we ought to critique yours.
where can one purchase an original painting now?
Thank you very much.
I too, appreciate YOU for doing this site.
I am not an art critic. I view art with my heart and I feel his paintings have “souls”? I especially like his Self Portrait – 1978 for the album cover of “Heroes”.
Bowie was the first to expose me to the German Expressionist movement which he seems to be influenced by. Thanks for the posting
john jones, you’re mediocre at best.
Thank you for sharing. I find the study/sketching on the lined paper of his face mesmerizing.
These are mediocre at best.
You’re correct; however, it’s great to see db had a serious art hobby.
I honestly had no clue he did this kind of art. Really great and inspiring.
R.I.P David Bowie we really lost a good one this year :(
I’m loving everything about these. It’s always so interesting to try to see through these artist’s eyes.
More than 10 years ago, I copied a series of those Tarot paintings for a thread in a forum:
Thanks Cindemonios! In fact it seems that he only painted 5 tarot card. So you scanned them all. Any possibility to have it in a better resolution in order to add it to the article?
Sorry, no, I even connected an old PC to check it, but it was the same resolution. I wished I scanned them, sadly it was just a copy-paste thing. I think I got the photo in Bowieart.
Thanks for the answer and the effort! I will warn you if I find them.
“There is Hell” 1995 is my favorite.
Thanks for posting these!!
Amazing. I knew he painted but I had no idea he was so good!
Never knew he was an artist (of paints and those mediums. All I knew him for was his music and acting. Not bad!