“The paintings are all your own”
On 31st March 1995, the Poole Edwards PR agency announced a forthcoming David Bowie solo exhibition of his art, running from 25 years ago today, 18th April, to 29th April, 1995, at the Gallery in Cork Street, London.
This was to be the first solo exhibition of his work and was eventually listed as New Afro Pagan and Work: 1975-1995.
The event featured various paintings and sculptures along with two wallpapers that caught the attention of the press, due to the marriage of traditional and new.
Here's the press release...
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31st March 1995
BOWIE AND LAURA ASHLEY CREATE ART WALLPAPER
Having designed two highly unusual wallpapers as art exhibits for his first solo exhibition of paintings, drawings sculptures and an installation, David Bowie found himself at a loss as to how to print them.
Help came in the most unlikely form of the fashion and home furnishings company, Laura Ashley, providing both the printing expertise and an original floral underlay for Bowie’s designs.
The papers will be part of an installation piece titled "District 6" featuring a box made up of African hairdressing advertisement boards. Sections of the papers will also be hung as framed prints.
"British Conflicts" features a charcoal portrait of the painter Lucien Freud, inside a Damien Hirst style box.
"The Crouch" portrays one of Bowie's charcoal drawings of a Minotaur against a large concrete block.
The two wallpapers have been printed in a limited run exclusively for the exhibition.
The Ashley/Bowie collaboration will debut at the forthcoming David Bowie 1975 - 1995 first solo exhibition showing. The exhibition runs from 18-29 April 1995 at the Gallery in Cork Street, 28 Cork Street, London WIX 1HB.
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Next week we'll be focusing on some of the collectables produced in conjunction with the show, which, for those who couldn't afford to buy any of Bowie’s actual art, turned out to be very good investments.
Pictured in our montage are the aforementioned wallpapers along with the private view invite and the embossed version of the exhibition catalogue which was sent out with the invites.
#BowieArt #BowieAfroPagan