Kevin Davies
David Bowie—A London Day
In late 1992 David Bowie was preparing for the release of his 18th studio album Black Tie White Noise.
Photographer Kevin Davies was commissioned to photograph him for a series of images which would be used to promote the album. The session took place at a studio space in Clerkenwell on Sunday 13th December 1992, with a selection of images subsequently approved by David Bowie for press use. After this Kevin placed the original rolls of film, contact sheets and prints in storage where they stayed for almost 30 years.
In 2020 Kevin uncovered the boxes — a Covid 19 lockdown project—to reveal perfectly preserved film negatives of 400+ images from that single day. The original archive of images captured a then 45-year-old David Bowie styled for Black Tie White Noise, plus a series shot late in the day when Davies asked to capture Bowie “just as you are.”
The collection features photographs from across the day, with selected images presented as diptychs and triptychs. This collection takes David Bowie as its subject, but it is equally a representation of the afterlife of analogue photography. It explores the intersection of the archive and creative remembrance. The selection of images is built around a number of David Bowie’s own selects taken from his mark-ups on Kevin’s original contact sheets and reveals a timeless, almost age-less artist in the prime of his life.
Kevin Davies – “In the anxiety of COVID 19 lockdown I found comfort in retracing my career through stored away negative boxes. I finally had the opportunity to do something I had wanted to do for such a long time; rediscovering past jobs in their totality. For me, this collection is a chance to show the photographic process beyond a commission.”
The limited editions
The David Bowie images shown below are available to purchase as signed limited editions in a choice of physical sizes.
There are 18 in the collection. Four are diptychs and triptychs, and 14 are single images. Of those single images, seven are available in a choice of two size options, and seven have the option of three sizes, including a special entry point 10×12 inch size. You will see which is which from the caption under each image.
Click on the green button under each image to view latest prices.
If you are looking for a larger size to fit a specific space at your home or office please get in touch with your desired specification.
Kevin Davies is an acclaimed portrait photographer with a portfolio including many stunning David Bowie and Grace Jones images.
Kevin Davies
Kevin Davies is a contemporary portrait photographer and has photographed subjects as diverse as Tom Jones, Shane McGowan, Bridgette Fonda, Martin Sheen, members of the Royal family and musicians such as David Bowie, Grace Jones, U2 and Public Enemy.
Kevin was born and lives in London but spent his teens in Cornwall, the spiritual home of many painters and potters. He read fine art at Winchester School of Art and while studying, it was pointed out that his photographs of his work were much better than the sculptures themselves. So he took this sound advice on board and stuck to photography.
He began working for music publications such as NME and in 1991 he met and photographed master milliner Philip Treacy, on commission for American Vogue, and so began a long-standing friendship and creative collaboration.
Kevin has worked on commissions for The Face, i-D and Arena, and has work published in several books. In 2013 Phaidon published a beautiful book of Kevin’s photographs of Philip Treacy’s work. The book is the result of a 20 year collaboration between the revered hat designer and long-time friend Davies who has followed Treacy every step of the way.
