Bowie taken by Duffy

MADRID, 2023

The “Bowie Taken by Duffy” exhibition showcased the work of British photographer Brian Duffy in collaboration with iconic musician David Bowie, one of the most influential artists in music history. Over a 9-year period, known as Bowie’s “Golden Years,” Duffy and Bowie collaborated on 5 photo shoots and 3 album covers that left an indelible mark on visual and musical culture.

The exhibition offered visitors the opportunity to view vintage prints and original objects from the Duffy Archive, along with previously unreleased video interviews with David Bowie’s collaborators during the sessions. Through this exhibition, attendees were able to take a trip back to the 1970s and explore the creative process of these two exceptional artists.

The exhibition opened on March 15, 2023, and concluded on July 23 of the same year at the COAM in Madrid, providing fans with a unique experience to appreciate the artistic collaboration between Duffy and Bowie.

Aladdin Sane ‘Eyes Open’ 1973. Photo Duffy © Duffy Archive & The David Bowie ArchiveTM

Between August 1972 and April 1980, Brian Duffy and David Bowie worked together on five photo sessions. These sessions produced the images that we immediately associate with the albums Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, The Thin White Duke, Lodger and Scary Monsters, visual dramatizations that illuminate the history of pop culture.

Five occasions in which, while the tireless Bowie jumped from one character to another, always addicted to trying different things, the equally tireless Brian Duffy was there to take the photographs that would bear witness to all these transformations. Duffy became a trusted conspirator at a time when Bowie was experimenting with pop stardom, capturing the essence of his era and capturing the ever-changing footprints of his legend.

Bowie sought attention, and Duffy knew how to provide it in the most effective way possible. He carefully observed a David Bowie who was clearly there to be observed. He observed him consciously, calibrated him, assimilated him, studied him, chatted with him, became his shadow, advised him, interpreted him, and, in his own way, protected him. And finally, he captured his ideas in photographs of Bowie capable of stopping time and letting it fly at the same time.

Duffy got as close as he could to David Bowie on these five occasions, until he had seen enough. Thanks to his images, the rest of us mortals can also get closer to the myth and observe it with our own eyes.