New Exhibition, Bowie by The David Koppel Archive – Opens Dec 1st – 24th in Norwich!

November 28th, 2017 | by Nick
New Exhibition, Bowie by The David Koppel Archive – Opens Dec 1st – 24th in Norwich!
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A little known story about David Bowie comes to light as the SAINT GILES STREET GALLERY, in collaboration with the DAVID KOPPEL ARCHIVE prepares to showcase the work of renowned ex-paparazzi photographer DAVID KOPPEL who was hit by Bowie in a nightclub brawl in Soho during the middle of his Glass Spider Tour of the UK in 1987.

Superstar Bowie exploded in fury when Koppel gatecrashed the party at Bootleggers Nightclub and tried to take photos of him with Mick Jagger. After having banned any photographers from the party, Koppel sneaked in through the basement kitchen with a camera hidden in his coat. Seizing an opportune moment Koppel approached the table, pulled the camera out and pointed it at Bowie, who screamed ‘No’ and then hurled himself across the table and walloped the snapper around the head screaming ‘you are so rude’. Minders pulled the hapless snapper to a side room where they ripped the film out of his camera.

Koppel takes up the story, ‘ He was right to do it, I intruded into a private gathering and paid the price. That didn’t bother me, but what did, was that three days later I was the official, and only photographer to a music charity awards ceremony and was terrified when Bowie arrived in the VIP room and I thought he would recognise me and give me another wallop. I hid behind my camera asking him to pose for various photos. It was extremely awkward being the official photographer and not being able to talk to him’.

The show titled BOWIE showcases previously unseen photographs including Bowie in concert during his Sound + Vision Tour in London, Bowie at the aforementioned Music Awards ceremony, Bowie at Legends Nightclub, Bowie at the press conference to launch his Sound and Vision Tour at the Rainbow Theatre and a special souvenir show poster. The exhibition also launches Koppel’s limited edition digital silkscreen prints of Bowie merged with ticket stubs and press passes under the PAP ART umbrella. All prints are stamped, numbered and signed by the artist in limited editions. Prices start at as little as £20 for a souvenir poster and £795 for a 24 x 36 limited edition print.

David Koppel served his photographic apprenticeship in the rough-and-tumble world of the Fleet Street paparazzi in 1980’s London when his skills captured the very essence of the the Decade that gave birth to the celebrity culture of today. Koppel’s classic photographs of Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton & the Royal Family appeared in every major newspaper and magazine and marked him out as that rarity amongst press photographers: the artist with a camera. Building on the reputation gained through the photographs for the book Still Waters, his black-and-white portraits of ordinary people now rank among the many famous names in his portfolio.

His own photographic work has now been recognised with an exhibition of “Pap Art” – now a Koppel trademark – in Zurich and a glowing write-up in the Sunday Times magazine. This led him to experimenting with digital images of his photographs on canvass. His collaborative work with the artist John Kiki in this medium has produced several exhibitions and continues to generate interest both here in the UK and abroad, with shows in London, Norwich and Zurich. Continuing to experiment and explore collage , under the umbrella of Pap Art, Koppel started to re-master old ‘celebrity’ works , merging them with memorabilia collected over many years, connected with his work as a jobbing photographer for the press to create the new Series A digital prints with silkscreen varnish, that are now being launched in galleries throughout the UK.

Bowie by David Koppel is at The Saint Giles Street Gallery, 51 Saint Giles Street Norwich NR2 1JR. December 1st-24th. Or to view online at www.pap-art.com Gallery Open by appointment only. For further information please call the Saint Giles Street Gallery 07831 838378.

 

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