Earlier this fall, the V&A East Storehouse’s David Bowie Centre opened, offering the public a chance to glimpse a trove of artifacts related to the multitalented musician’s life and career. Still, some Bowie superfans yearned to bring a special piece of his kaleidoscopic artistry home with them. They had the chance to do just that this week at Bonhams London, where, as Artnet reports, works by photographer and frequent Bowie collaborator Brian Duffy were auctioned off. The star lot of the sale was the cover for Bowie’s Aladdin Sane album, which went for $496,000, breaking the previous record for an album cover, held by Led Zeppelin’s self-titled 1969 record.
The images shot for the album are undoubtedly the most memorable of Bowie taken by Duffy — if not the most memorable photos of Bowie period. They capture the musician wearing his famous lightning-bolt makeup, created by artist Pierre La Roche, with whom Bowie worked on multiple occasions, including for the Pin Ups cover featuring Bowie with fellow British icon Twiggy. In the sale-stealing Bonhams photo, the musician looks both magnetic and contemplative, his eyes closed and his face glowing pink.
The auction also presented fans with the opportunity to grab other precious Bowie memorabilia. Two contact sheets from the Aladdin Sane portrait series sold for $25,000, while the stool Bowie sat on during the session went for $3,680.
