These Paintings By David Bowie Show His Other Artist Side

David Bowie was a great artist on stage, in cinema and in videogames. But he also dabbled in painting, too! Here are some of the paintings and drawings that Bowie left us. His art is said to be “influenced by Frank Auerbach, David Bomberg, Francis Bacon, Francis Picabia.”

Self-Portrait

Child In Berlin – 1977

Self-Portrait

Berlin Landscape With JO – 1978

(Portrait of Iggy Pop)

Sketch

Hearts Filthy Lesson – 1995

Self-Portrait – 1978

Inspired by the cover for the album cover of Heroes (Victoria and Albert Museum)

DHead series

Bowie continuously painted these DHeads during his career, but it only went public around 1994.

DHeads II

Ancestor

South Africa series An exploration of Bowie’s thoughts on the “white ancestor” story, gleaned from his trip to South Africa. The artist wrote: “In 1995 Iman and I took our first trip to South Africa. One of the prevailing stories handed down is that when the first tribes saw the white man they presumed they were being visited by their ancestors, as in their mythology the ancestors appear as a ghost-like white form.”

Ancestor II

Dry Heads Capetown – 1995

Evol For The Missing – 1996

I Am A World Champion – 1977

Portrait Of JO – 1976

Squeeze 2000 – 1996

Turkish Father And Son – 1978

Sketch

Self-Portrait

Sketch

Sketch

The Man Behind It All