A remarkable collection of previously unseen photographs of David Bowie are coming to York.
Titled David & I: My photographic account of travelling the world with David Bowie, the exhibition gives fans an insight into Bowie’s downtime while travelling the world.
It includes 40 stunning photographs, 20 of which will be extra-large 30” x 40″ fine-art prints.
Cooper Mini Showroom, Clifton Moor Gate, Clifton Moor, York YO30 4WR
Thu Oct 20 @ 7.30pm
£7.50 / £29.50 for VIP tickets
They were taken as David and Denis toured the world together between 1978 and 1987 and many have never been seen by the public before.
And the exhibition coming to York for one-night only.
Denis told YorkMix his exhibition will display a side of David that hasn’t been seen elsewhere.
It’s more of an insight into David than a lot of other exhibitions are – just because it has the off-guard, off-stage moments that I think the fans will really like.
They’ve seen the show, but they haven’t seen him just hanging around. The candid moments.
Denis travelled with Bowie for up to nine months at a time, including the Serious Moonlight, Glass Spider and Sound & Vision tours between 1983 and 1990.
But he first photographed him years earlier.
After photographing a variety of punk bands at the Marquee Club in London, Denis got noticed by the music papers – particularly NME.
“I started to do a lot of work for them, and in 1978 I said to them: ‘David Bowie’s touring, can I go and photograph him in Newcastle?’
“They said OK, and that was the first time I shot him professionally. Those pictures ended up all over the place.”
And Denis ultimately got the job as Bowie’s tour photographer through those NME contacts.
“I ended up going to rehearsals in Dallas and I met David – and then they told me I’d got the job.”
Down to earth
After only ever seeing him from a distance, Bowie wasn’t quite what he had anticipated once he came to know him personally.
He was down to earth – very friendly, very funny – and that wasn’t what I expected from this bloke from another planet.
But it was Bowie he became close to.
At shows, he had the band behind him, and the only person in front of him who he knew was me. So there’s that little bond as well.
He’d shoot me a look, or we’d have a little laugh about something. We had that communication during the show.
And Denis is bringing the exhibition to York simply because he loves it here.
“I absolutely love York. I love York and Yorkshire, so I’m really looking forward to it. A lot of my friends are from Yorkshire – well, Londoners who live in Yorkshire.”
He will be at the exhibition and VIP ticket holders can take part in a Q&A with Denis before it opens to other ticket holders.