In 2001, award-winning fashion and celebrity photographer Markus Klinko spent eight hours in his New York studio with David Bowie, producing the images that would become the cover for Bowie’s Heathen.
The strength of that session led to a second commission the following year: the cover of GQ’s Man of the Year issue, honouring Bowie. The resulting image - Bowie standing unflinching among a pack of wolves - remains one of the most arresting portraits of his later career.
Photographs from these sessions were later released as the Bowie Unseen series.
“When photographing an artist, I always desire to create a work that truly defines them - something that can serve as a milestone in pop culture history. Those are ambitious goals, but that’s what I’m thinking about every time I pick up my camera.” ~ Markus Klinko
Markus first met Bowie just days before 9/11, during an editing session at his studio for Iman, who had commissioned him to shoot the cover of her book I AM IMAN. Midway through the session, Bowie turned to Markus and offered him the opportunity to shoot the cover for his upcoming album.
The events of 9/11 delayed production, but Bowie stayed true to his word. The Heathen shoot took place on October 10, 2001.
The photographs quickly drew the attention of artists including Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and Lady Gaga, and marked the beginning of Markus’s transition from commercial photography into an internationally recognised fine art practice.
3D Gallery
Markus Klinko: Bowie, The Heavens
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