David Bowie's Aladdin Sane album artwork expected record auction price

The original artwork for David Bowie's 1973 album 'Aladdin Sane,' featuring the iconic lightning bolt across his face, is expected to become the world's most expensive album cover sold at auction, with an estimated price of £300,000. This could surpass the previous record set by Led Zeppelin's debut album artwork, which sold for $325,000 in 2020. The artwork is part of a collection of 35 items from photographer Brian Duffy's archive, including the Hasselblad 500C camera used for the shoot, contact sheets, and the stool Bowie sat on during the photoshoot. These items are being auctioned by Bonhams from October 22 to November 5, with many pieces having toured globally as part of the highly successful "David Bowie Is" exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum and other international venues. Duffy, a key figure in 1960s photography, is credited with capturing the visual essence of Bowie’s glam rock era, and his archive has now been made accessible to the public through exhibitions and this sale. The auction highlights the enduring cultural impact of Bowie's work and Duffy's photography, which together helped define the visual language of the 1970s and beyond.