Bowie: The Rise of Ziggy Stardust
Museum

Bowie

The Rise of Ziggy Stardust
The Music Photo GalleryMuseum exhibition140+ works
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The exhibition

BOWIE by MICK ROCK is a large-scale multimedia exhibition celebrating the creative partnership between David Bowie and Mick Rock, the photographer whose images helped define the visual identity of one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.

Combining photography, music, film, video, and archival material, the exhibition immerses visitors in Bowie's extraordinary journey of artistic reinvention, from the emergence of Ziggy Stardust through the many transformations that reshaped popular culture over the following decades.

More than a photographer, Mick Rock was a close collaborator and witness to a pivotal moment in cultural history. His photographs not only documented Bowie's rise but helped create some of the most enduring images in the history of music.

The exhibition made its international debut at the Taschen Gallery in Los Angeles in 2015 alongside the publication of The Rise of David Bowie, 1972–1973. Following its success, the project traveled internationally, with presentations at the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Taschen Gallery (Los Angeles and New York), Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and São Paulo, attracting large audiences and introducing Mick Rock's work to new generations of visitors around the world.

Following David Bowie's passing in 2016, the exhibition assumed an even greater cultural significance. What began as a celebration of an artist's creative evolution became a powerful tribute to Bowie's enduring legacy and to the photographer who helped shape how the world remembers him.

Today, BOWIE by MICK ROCK continues to travel internationally as a museum-scale exhibition, honoring the life, vision, and cultural impact of both David Bowie and Mick Rock while preserving one of the most important visual archives in the history of contemporary music.

It was a magical time for me, and David was the most creative person I had ever met.
— Mick Rock
Installation views

11 views of the exhibition.

Bowie: The Rise of Ziggy Stardust
Bowie: The Rise of Ziggy Stardust
Bowie: The Rise of Ziggy Stardust
Bowie: The Rise of Ziggy Stardust
Bowie: The Rise of Ziggy Stardust
Bowie: The Rise of Ziggy Stardust
Bowie: The Rise of Ziggy Stardust
Bowie: The Rise of Ziggy Stardust
Bowie: The Rise of Ziggy Stardust
Bowie: The Rise of Ziggy Stardust
Mick Rock at the entrance to The Rise of Ziggy Stardust | David Bowie by Mick Rock exhibition at Foto Museo Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City.
Moving Image / Archive

Films & Television

Interviews, documentaries and television features related to the exhibition.

Selected works

Photographs from the exhibition.

David Bowie and Mick Jagger, London, 1973, photographed by Mick Rock.
Mick Rock
David Bowie and Mick Jagger, London, 1973
David Bowie with saxophone, London, 1973 — rare color portrait photographed by Mick Rock.
Mick Rock
David Bowie with Saxophone, London, 1973
David Bowie Applying Makeup, 1973, photographed by Mick Rock.
Mick Rock
David Bowie Applying Makeup, 1973
David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed photographed in London, 1972 — black and white portrait by Mick Rock.
Mick Rock
David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, London, 1972
David Bowie, Earls Court, London, 1973, photographed by Mick Rock.
Mick Rock
David Bowie, Earls Court, London, 1973
David Bowie at the Window, Haddon Hall, 1972, photographed by Mick Rock.
Mick Rock
David Bowie at the Window, Haddon Hall, 1972
David Bowie, Close-Up, Haddon Hall, 1972, photographed by Mick Rock.
Mick Rock
David Bowie, Close-Up, Haddon Hall, 1972
David Bowie with Acoustic Guitar, Haddon Hall, 1972, photographed by Mick Rock.
Mick Rock
David Bowie with Acoustic Guitar, Haddon Hall, 1972
Selected Press

In the press.

The Guardian

Photographer Mick Rock: David Bowie 'never really copied anybody'

The ‘Man Who Shot the Seventies’ and chronicled the rise of Ziggy Stardust had a unique perspective on the career of an ‘infinitely curious’ artist

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Artsy

On the Road with David Bowie, Mick Rock Captured the Rockstar’s Transformation into Ziggy Stardust

At the age of 24, British photographer Mick Rock scored a gig that would largely define his career: the role of David Bowie’s official photographer from 1972 to 1973. Not only was Bowie taking off in popularity at the time, he was embarking on one of the most momentous transformations in music history, into that of androgynous, glitter-clad, and wildly original Ziggy Stardust.

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Rolling Stone Magazine

See Rare Mick Rock Snapshots of David Bowie From Upcoming Exhibit

Sound and Vision will document the photographer and musician's 30-year relationship

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LA NACION

Mick Rock: “Era imposible sacarle una mala foto a David Bowie”

Entrevista con Mick Rock antes de la inauguración de Bowie by Mick Rock en La Rural, Buenos Aires, en mayo de 2017.

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Clarín

Mick Rock, el fotógrafo de David Bowie

Entrevista sobre Bowie, la transformación en Ziggy Stardust y la muestra del fotógrafo británico en La Rural.

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Clarín Revista Ñ

La lente insaciable de un insider del rock

Perfil de Mick Rock durante su visita a Buenos Aires y su exposición de fotografías de la etapa glam de Bowie.

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TN

“Me permitió ser testigo de momentos muy importantes”, la palabra del hombre que retrató a David Bowie

Entrevista a Mick Rock sobre las imágenes históricas de Bowie y su exposición de 2017 en Argentina.

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Infobae

“Bowie by Mick Rock”: el fotógrafo de David Bowie ya está en Buenos Aires

Amplia cobertura fotográfica de la inauguración en La Rural, con imágenes del montaje y de los invitados.

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WARP México

#WARPPresenta: Entrevista con Mick Rock, experiencias con David Bowie y fotografía de la música

Entrevista con el fotógrafo en el contexto de STARMAN: Bowie by Mick Rock en Foto Museo Cuatro Caminos, Ciudad de México.

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Chilango

Ve a Bowie con VR en el Foto Museo Cuatro Caminos

Cobertura de la experiencia de realidad virtual incorporada en 2018 a la exhibición STARMAN con fotografías de Mick Rock.

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Gravedad Zero

David Bowie por Mick Rock en La Rural

Reseña de la presentación argentina de Bowie by Mick Rock, con imágenes, cine y música relacionados con el artista.

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Touring history
5
featured venues
  • Taschen Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London, United Kingdom
  • La Rural, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Museum of Image and Sound (MIS), São Paulo, Brazil
  • Foto Museo Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Mexico
The photographer
Mick Rock

Mick Rock

London, UK, 1944 – 2021

Mick Rock (1944–2021), widely known as “The Man Who Shot the Seventies,” created some of the most enduring images in the history of rock music. Born in London and based in New York for more than three decades, he photographed artists including David Bowie, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Queen, Blondie, the Ramones, and the Sex...

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Touring

Bring the exhibition to your city.

Available for museums, cultural institutions, festivals and commercial venues worldwide, in editions adapted to each space. Contact the gallery for formats, availability and the touring dossier.

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