Now this was a real treat: earlier this month, the beautiful Fitzrovia Chapel in central London hosted an exhibition of 20 photographs of David Bowie, all taken from a photo session in 1992.
The chapel was once part of the Middlesex Hospital and the adjoining chapel was designed by John Loughborough Pearson RA, and built 1891–92 , with the interior completed 32 years after his death in 1929,
The exhibition website tells the story of the images:
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 Bowie 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 Bowie for press use, after which Davies placed the original rolls of film, contact sheets and prints in storage where they stayed for almost 30 years.
In 2020, Davies uncovered the boxes to reveal perfectly preserved film negatives of 400+ images from that single day with Bowie, the details of which had been eclipsed by the indistinguishable memory of a luminous presence.
The original collection of 450 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.”
Curator Dylan Jones added:
“This is a fascinating body of work as it’s a visual narrative that takes place over the course of a single session on a single day.
Not only does it show David Bowie’s extraordinary attention to detail, but it also shows Kevin Davies’ ability to shape and catalogue that narrative. I love these pictures.”
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