David Bowie, Close-Up, Haddon Hall, 1972, photographed by Mick Rock.
David Bowie on the front cover of the 1972 RCA reissue of Space Oddity, photographed by Mick Rock at Haddon Hall.
David Bowie on the back cover of the 1972 RCA edition of Space Oddity, photographed by Mick Rock in Zowie’s room at Haddon Hall.
Mick Rock

David Bowie, Close-Up, Haddon Hall, 1972

David Bowie
$1,500
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Original Photograph in Limited Edition
Series Stamped by the Artist’s Estate

More than a defining portrait, this photograph became part of David Bowie’s visual history. Mick Rock’s close-up of Bowie was selected for the front cover of RCA’s 1972 worldwide reissue of Space Oddity.

Rock photographed Bowie at Haddon Hall, his home in Beckenham, in the spring of 1972—at the precise moment when the image and identity of Ziggy Stardust were taking shape. The companion photograph shown here, depicting Bowie seated in his son Zowie’s pink bedroom, appeared on the album’s back cover. Together, the two images transformed Bowie’s 1969 album for the new audience that discovered him after his Ziggy Stardust breakthrough.

Originally released in the UK as David Bowie and in the United States as Man of Words / Man of Music, the album was retitled Space Oddity for the 1972 RCA edition. Its title track introduced Major Tom and established Bowie’s fascination with isolation, identity, and space-age mythology, while songs including “Cygnet Committee,” “Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud,” and “Memory of a Free Festival” revealed the ambitious songwriting that would define his following decade.

The cultural importance of this photograph lies in that remarkable intersection: a portrait made during the birth of Ziggy Stardust used to reintroduce the album that first launched Bowie into public consciousness. The original 1972 package even included a poster reproducing Mick Rock’s cover image.

For exclusive pieces signed by Mick Rock—including original handwritten notes or vintage prints from his personal archive—please contact us directly.

Specifications
Photographer
Mick Rock
Title
David Bowie, Close-Up, Haddon Hall, 1972
Subject
David Bowie
Authenticity
Certificate of Authenticity included
Shipping
Worldwide, fully insured
Returns
14-day return policy
Photographer
Mick Rock
Photography
Mick Rock

British photographer whose images of David Bowie, Lou Reed, Queen, Iggy Pop, and the glam rock era helped define the visual language of 1970s music culture.

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