Unseen David Bowie photographs on show in new exhibition

Previously unseen photographs of David Bowie by photographer Gerald Fearnley
David Bowie photographed by Gerald Fearnley in 1967
David Bowie photographed by Gerald Fearnley in 1967

Previously unseen photographs of David Bowie by photographer Gerald Fearnley are to be exhibited at London’s Snap Galleries, a gallery specialising in rock photographs, from 16 August – 24 September 2016.

The photographer, Gerald Fearnley, is the brother of “Dek” (Derek) Fearnley, the bass player of the band The Buzz, who backed David Bowie in 1966/1967, and played on his first album.

The band and David Bowie would often stay at Gerald’s house in Worcester Park, Surrey. In fact he still remembers David Bowie playing piano with his son Roger on his knee, and how he taught the whole Fearnley family how to play the theme tune to the TV series The Killing Stones on penny whistles. David would often stay alone in the Fearnley family home writing songs, and the band would rehearse there prior to gigs.

Gerald was a professional photographer and the connection through his brother Dek resulted in him taking the colour portrait that appeared on the front cover of David Bowie’s first album, the self-titled 1 June 1967 release David Bowie. This is a very well known image, and a rare previously unpublished colour outtake from that cover shoot appears for the first time in the exhibition.

However, while this colour LP cover image is very well known, Gerald’s archives contain some completely unknown buried treasure – in the form of an entire session of black and white photographs of David Bowie (taken at his Bryanston Street studio around the time of, but completely distinct from the album cover session) – all previously unpublished.

These intimate portraits, set against a roll of no-seam studio background paper, show David Bowie in playful mood: in face paint, miming, laughing and smiling, throwing shapes, sitting in yoga positions, and clowning around in a superhero sweater and a bowler hat.

David Bowie photographed by Gerald Fearnley in 1967

David Bowie photographed by Gerald Fearnley in 1967

Limited editions signed by Gerald Fearnley available to purchase

Snap Galleries is offering a carefully curated selection of these photographs as limited editions signed by Gerald Fearnley.

Each signed photograph is offered in a choice of physical sizes, and edition sizes are reassuringly small. Just 10 signed and numbered examples in each of the three size options are available worldwide – a maximum of 30 prints of each image.

They will be on show at the gallery at 12 Piccadilly Arcade, London, SW1Y 6NH from 16 August to 24 September 2016, but are available to order online if you can’t wait.

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