Richard Young first met David Bowie as a teenager before he became famous:

“In 1964 when I was sixteen, I used to hang out in the Bataclan Club on Princes Street near Oxford Circus – a very cool place to socialise in the day. Occasionally a guy called David Jones would come over and hang out. He was good pals with my old schoolmate Marc Bolan. Little did I know then who David would become!”

Richard Young became a professional photographer in 1974 and began photographing David Bowie in 1976, covering countless international concerts, photocalls, premiere appearances and parties. Through the years Young captured David Bowie both on-stage and off, regularly crossing paths with each other on the social scene in London.

“We always had a great relationship. He was always kind and friendly, and we loved to chat. I particularly remember when David met Iman. They would often hang out at San Lorenzo and at this point in time David was really getting into the art scene. I had photographed him with many women over the years, but I had never seen him as happy as he was with Iman. This was a true love, and I have not seen that kind of passion between a couple since I photographed Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in 1974. I find it interesting looking back at some of the photographs I have taken, every now and again I find that I have captured some beautifully tender moments of such amazing icons. This kind of photography does not exist anymore. Everything is controlled and hidden, as today’s major stars keep everything hidden behind closed doors.”

“When David moved to New York I saw less of him, but when I used to cover The Tribeca Film Festivals for Vanity Fair in the noughties, we re-connected. My fondest memory was of getting into a deep conversation with him at the Tribeca party in 2004. Upon arrival he made a beeline for me, gave me a big hug and we got into a deep conversation about fashion and clothes––a shared passion. We were chatting for so long when out of the corner of my eye I could see Vanity Fair Editor, Graydon Carter, looking at us, very irritated that David was spending so much time with the me, and had not yet spoken to him. I said to David, “You’d better go and say hello to Graydon!” According to the hierarchy of showbusiness, the photographer is often not considered to be a part of the scene, merely the chronicler of the event. Coincidently, I never got invited back to The Tribeca Film Festival ever again! Sadly, that was also one of the last times that I spoke to or ever photographed David.”

The photographs displayed in this exhibition present Bowie’s ever-changing on-stage persona while also revealing a candid glimpse into his life off-stage. This exhibition is Richard Young’s tribute to David Bowie, an irreplaceable icon who will forever be missed.

“David was always so kind and pleasant, always a smile, an absolute gentleman.”

For further information, images or to request an interview, please contact Susan Young at Richard Young Gallery.

Richard Young Gallery

4 Holland Street

London

W8 4LT

Tel: 0207 937 8911

gallery@richardyoungonline.com

www.richardyounggallery.co.uk