Iconic David Bowie lightning cover art comes to Madrid

Madrid, Mar 14 (EFE).- The iconic image of David Bowie’s lightning bolt-daubed face, used as the cover of his 1973 album Aladdin Sane, has come to Madrid for an exhibition that delves into the creative process behind the photograph and its enduring allure.

The only original print of the renowned image in existence, snapped by photographer Brian Duffy, takes center stage at the Bowie Taken by Duffy exhibition on show at Madrid’s official College of Architects (COAM) until June 25.

“There’s one print of that, which every single image that has been produced on caps, t-shirts, fridge magnets, phone holders, every single image has come from one print and that one print and that one print is in the exhibit,” Chris Duffy, Brian’s son, said at the opening of the retrospective on Tuesday.

“I called it several years ago the ‘Mona Lisa of pop,’ and I think it really has come to fruition that it really is the Mona Lisa of pop, and it’s there,” he added.

The show, organized by Sold Out in association with the Duffy Archive and Nomad Exhibitions, goes beyond that single print, however, and brings together some 160 objects, including videos, music clips and artwork to curate a journey through Bowie’s chameleonic golden years.

Photographer Duffy and Bowie held five photoshoots between 1972 and 1980, a prolific period for an artist who leaped between personas from Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke to Pierrot.

Bowie’s last collaboration with Duffy featured on the cover of Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) in 1980. EFE jhv/jt