David Bowie, Aladdin Sane Album Cover, 1973
© Duffy & The David Bowie Archive

David Bowie, Aladdin Sane Album Cover, 1973

Photograph
By Brian Duffy
About the image

Taken by Duffy during the second of Five Sessions with David Bowie – Duffy’s most famous photograph dates from 1973 and is the iconic and revolutionary cover of David Bowie’s album – Aladdin Sane. A shot that became the defining look of Bowie’s long career, and has been referred to as the “Mona Lisa of pop.”

The defining image of Duffy and Bowie’s creative relationship which has become synonymous with the legacy of both artists. Tony Defries commissioned Duffy Design Concepts to create the entire Aladdin Sane album. The brief was simple – “Can you make it expensive?” The intention was to take Bowie to an international level. Also to make a bill so large that the record label would have to pay attention. A Dye-transfer image was the answer. A process that was notoriously costly, with the production taking place in Switzerland. Duffy carved the iconic red and blue “Flash” across David’s face in lipstick. The outline was then filled in by makeup artist Pierre Laroche. The image was then sent to airbrush artist Philip Castle. Duffy previously worked on the 1973 Pirelli Calendar with Castle who applied the water symbol on Bowie’s chest.

** As one of the most famous and beloved images in Rock & Roll, this photograph has been exceptionally sought-after by collectors of this genre - as well it should be! These signed editions are increasingly rare, very few pieces remain in the 20" x 20" and 24" x 24" sizes and only one 40" x 40" is available. For this reason we can not post prices on these sizes - please contact us for the latest information.

Collector's Note:

This image is available as a SIGNED limited edition. 

In 2009-2010 Duffy and his son Chris produced these editions and Duffy signed them shortly before his death.

The front of each SIGNED photograph bears the signature on the lower right and the official Duffy Archive seal embossed on the lower left. All prints are signed and authenticated on the rear by Chris Duffy with full print details including a unique reference number. Each print is also issued a certificate of authenticity.

Release Notes:

Available Duffy Archive photographs are listed below. Please note that these are IMAGE SIZES, so the artwork itself will actually be several inches larger on each dimension. Please see the guide below to better estimate final artwork size:

15" x 15" image size = approximate 20" x 22" sheet size
20" x 20" image size = approximate 24" x 26" sheet size
24" x 24" image size = approximate 30" x 32" sheet size
40" x 40" image size = approximate 44" x 48" sheet size

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David Bowie, Aladdin Sane Album Cover, 1973
David Bowie, Aladdin Sane Album Cover, 1973

 
 
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