The original print of the cover image photograph from the David Bowie album Aladdin Sane has been sold in a London auction for £381,400 including premiums.
Billed as the Mona Lisa of Pop, the image, by photographer Brian Duffy (who worked as Duffy) was sold by Bonhams this afternoon, Wednesday, November 5.
The picture featured on the cover of Bowie’s 1973 album Aladdin Sane, the singer’s first as an established star. It played a major role in Bowie’s chameleonic image, marking the end of his Ziggy Stardust character.
It went into the sale with a £250,000 to £300,000 estimate.
Before today, the most valuable original artwork from a record album was the $325,000 paid in a 2020 sale for the design from the Led Zeppelin debut.
Now, the Bowie image takes that crown.
Claire Tole-Moir, head of Bonhams’ popular culture department, said: “The cover of David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane is a truly iconic image by Duffy. It represents a landmark album by Bowie and a pivotal moment in Pop Culture history. We are delighted that its significance has been recognised today with a new world record price achieved at Bonhams.”
Duffy’s son, Chris Duffy, who runs the Duffy Archive, who were selling the pieces, added: “Duffy would be honoured to know that 15 years after his passing that the ‘Mona Lisa of Pop’ has achieved a world record and cemented its position as a cultural icon.”
It was auctioned with other items from the archive. The stool on which Bowie sat during the shoot made just over £2,800.
The items for sale captured much of the creation process for one of the most famous images of the pop age. Images by Brian Duffy courtesy of Bonhams.
Brian Duffy came to fame in the early 1960s as a fashion and portrait photographer who was closely associated with the Swinging London phenomenon.
He worked with Bowie on Aladdin Sane and a number of subsequent albums. In 1979 he turned his back on photography and attempted to burn his negatives, a destruction that was halted by local council officials responding to a pollution complaint.
The sale was ongoing as we went to press.
