Before All Those Ch-Ch-Changes: A New Book Reveals “Bowie Unseen”

Bowie Unseen | By Gerald Fearnley; ACC Art Books; $25

The subtitle of this intriguing look an extraordinary figure says it all: “Portraits of an Artist as a Young Man.” It’s a collection of rare, original images from Bowie’s first album shoot. They’re beautiful in their own right — with Bowie’s unmistakable features, as yet untouched by the passage of time. But they’re even more fascinating in light of what we know the artist will become — the androgynous daredevil of Ziggy Stardust. The book’s author and photographer Gerald Fearnley was the brother of Derek ‘Dek’ Fearnley, with whom Bowie collaborated on some of his earliest recordings. Thus, Gerald had a front row seat to the birth of Bowie — including the artist changing his name from David Jones in order to avoid being confused with the lead singer of the Monkees. From early experiments with make-up to outrageous poses to more simple shots, he almosts seems to reach through the camera, daring the viewer to meet David Bowie.

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