A painting by pop icon David Bowie, titled DHead XLVI and recently discovered and purchased at a charity shop for about CA$5 ($4), has sold at Toronto auction house Cowley Abbott for CA$108,120 with premium ($87,629), making it the highest price paid for one of Bowie’s art pieces. The teal and crimson work was originally listed at CA$9,000-12,000, but soared past this on its first day of sale.
Between 1995 and 1997, Bowie created a series of 47 paintings titled Dead Heads (or D Head). Each title included a non-sequential Roman numeral, and sitters ranged from band members to friends and even self portraits. With high energy and vibrant, swirling colors, they were most likely inspired by Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust phase.
It is somewhat of a mystery how this work, stylistically reminiscent of Francis Bacon and German expressionism, ended up at a donation center for household goods, just outside of the town South River in Ontario. It was originally sold through Bowie’s official website around 2001, then was somehow found at this charity shop. There, an anonymous buyer bought it – and was astonished to discover Bowie’s signature on the back, signed in 1997.
The buyer then contacted the Cowley Abbott, who had specialists to confirm the painting's authenticity. "We were very excited when we discovered that the artwork was original and genuine," auctioneer Rob Cowley told the AFP news agency. "We are fans of Bowie's work and are delighted to bring a piece of his art to the market."
