# David Bowie artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/david-bowie/
Profile generated: 2026-05-18T19:05:02.067Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1947-01-08
- Death date: 2016-01-10
- Nationality: English, British
- Common media: Painting, Drawing, Mixed media

## About David Bowie

David Bowie, born David Robert Jones in Brixton, London, in 1947 and deceased in New York City in 2016, was an English singer, songwriter, actor, and painter whose influence extended across music, visual art, fashion, and popular culture. Widely regarded as one of the most influential creative figures of the twentieth century, he was known for continuous reinvention across decades of work. Beyond his celebrated music career, Bowie maintained a sustained practice as a visual artist, producing paintings, drawings, and mixed-media works. The Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD) records him as a painter alongside his occupations as actor and musician. His visual art has been exhibited in galleries and appears at auction, where collectors encounter original paintings, works on paper, and limited-edition prints alongside photography and memorabilia tied to his performing career.

## Common works and media

Collectors may encounter original acrylic and oil paintings, ink and pencil drawings, mixed-media works on canvas and paper, limited-edition prints, and exhibition posters bearing Bowie's name. Photography featuring Bowie by noted photographers also circulates widely at auction, as do signed prints, album-related artwork, and stage-worn or costume pieces. The range of material requires careful identification of work type and attribution before appraisal.

## Market and appraisal context

Works attributed to David Bowie as a visual artist include original paintings, drawings, and prints, which appear at auction alongside a broader category of photography, memorabilia, and ephemera related to his music and film career. When appraising a Bowie-attributed artwork, key factors include verified authorship, medium, dimensions, condition, edition details for prints, and documented provenance. Collectors should distinguish between original fine-art works by Bowie and items such as concert posters, signed albums, or costume pieces that may carry his name but fall under memorabilia rather than fine art. Authenticity documentation and comparison with known catalogued works are advisable, as the secondary body of visual art is smaller and less comprehensively catalogued than his music output.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from library authority files, museum records, and biographical sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For David Bowie, identity data is drawn from the Getty ULAN, VIAF, Wikidata, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, and the Library of Congress Name Authority File.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5383
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500371947
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/56606484/
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/133156
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81112099
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/34111
- David Bowie Estate: https://www.davidbowie.com/