{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1788145"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1788145/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2025PG4195/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2025PG4195/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2025PG4195","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1788145","accessionNumber":"LOAN:AMERICASFOUNDATION.2591-2024","objectType":"Artwork","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"","physicalDescription":"Original artwork by Edward Bell, used as the album cover for <i>Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) </i> by David Bowie, 1980.\r\n\r\nThe artwork is a collage of paper, photographs, polaroids, and painted and drawn elements. On the left there is hand-painted black text on cutout strips of paper, as well as various collaged photographs of David Bowie painted with strokes of white paint. At the top left there is a colour polaroid of David Bowie in pale makeup and a pale blue Pierrot costume, and at the top centre there is another in black and white. The right side features a drawn and painted portrait of David Bowie in the same costume. The portrait sits beneath three torn strips of a black and white photograph of David Bowie in costume, holding a cigarette in his hand, and with his shadow cast on the wall behind. There is a purple outline surrounding the collage, and hand painted black text featuring the artist and album name around the corners.\n\nThe collage is mounted inside a box frame with white metal brackets. The inside of the frame is white, and the outside is dark grey.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Bell, Edward","id":"AUTH403007"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"},{"text":"printing ink","id":"AAT187371"},{"text":"photographic paper","id":"AAT14190"},{"text":"Polaroid (TM) film","id":"AAT127373"},{"text":"paint","id":"AAT15029"},{"text":"watercolour","id":"AAT15045"},{"text":"oil pastel","id":"x44107"},{"text":"pencil","id":"x30347"},{"text":"ink","id":"AAT15012"},{"text":"glue","id":"AAT14815"},{"text":"chipboard","id":"AAT14208"},{"text":"wood","id":"AAT11914"},{"text":"mat board","id":"AAT14237"},{"text":"metal","id":"AAT10900"},{"text":"perspex","id":"AAT14435"}],"techniques":[{"text":"cutting","id":"AAT53069"},{"text":"tearing","id":"AAT252881"},{"text":"collage","id":"AAT138699"},{"text":"photography","id":"AAT54225"},{"text":"printing","id":"AAT53319"},{"text":"painting","id":"x30598"},{"text":"drawing","id":"x32498"},{"text":"handwriting","id":"AAT252927"},{"text":"glueing","id":"AAT53012"},{"text":"mounting","id":"AAT81370"},{"text":"framing","id":"AAT240903"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Cut, torn and collaged paper, photographic prints, printing ink on paper, and polaroids with paint, watercolour, oil pastel, pencil, handwritten ink, and glue, mounted on wooden chipboard\r\nPainted wood with mountboard, metal brackets and screws, perspex glazing","categories":[{"text":"David Bowie Archive","id":"THES394093"},{"text":"Entertainment and leisure","id":"THES48959"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2025PG4195"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"A","id":"THES304449"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"artworks","id":"AAT133025"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Great Britain","id":"x32019"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1980","earliest":"1980-01-01","latest":"1980-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"LOAN:AMERICASFOUNDATION.1588-2024","id":"O1782311"},"association":""},{"object":{"text":"LOAN:AMERICASFOUNDATION.2641-2024","id":"O1797218"},"association":""},{"object":{"text":"DBA/2/1/14/4","id":"ARC270086"},"association":""},{"object":{"text":"DBA/3/1/18","id":"ARC261239"},"association":""}],"creditLine":"Lent by the V&A Americas Foundation through the generosity of Jones/Tintoretto Entertainment Company LLC","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"136","unit":"cm","qualifier":"Including frame ","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"107.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"Including frame","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"9.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"Including frame","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"122","unit":"cm","qualifier":"Sight measurement of collage without frame","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"94","unit":"cm","qualifier":"Sight measurement of collage without frame","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"EDWARD BELL '80","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Signed by the artist in black ink at bottom left corner and bottom right corner"},{"content":"CREEPS\r\nSIDE ONE.\r\nIT'S NO GAME (NO. 1).\r\nUP THE HILL BACKWARDS.\r\nSCARY MONSTERS\r\n(AND SUPER CREEPS).\r\nASHES TO ASHES.\r\nFASHION.\r\nSIDE TWO.\r\nTEENAGE WILDLIFE.\r\nSCREAM LIKE A BABY.\r\nKINGDOM COME.\r\nBECAUSE YOU'RE YOUNG.\r\nIT'S NO GAME (NO.2).\r\nAND SUPER\r\nDAVID BOWIE\r\nSCARY MONSTERS......\r\nEDWARD BELL 80'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Hand painted in black ink across collage"},{"content":"TRIM SPINE FOR ALBUM NO. FOLD TRIM \r\nTRIM TRIM BACK COVER SPACE FOR RCA LOGO FOLD FRONT COVER TRIM TRIM","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Handwritten in pencil around the outer edges of the collage"}],"objectHistory":"British artist Edward Bell first encountered David Bowie when he unexpectedly attended a private view for Bell’s first exhibition ‘Larger Than Life’ at Neal Street Gallery in 1980.\r\nLater that year, Bowie was looking to design the cover for his new album; <i>Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)</i>. Bowie undertook a photoshoot with photographer Brian Duffy, capturing images of him wearing his famous ‘Ashes to Ashes’ Pierrot costume designed by Natasha Korniloff. \n\r\nBut Bowie also invited Edward Bell to attend this photoshoot. After Bowie had been photographed by Duffy in his Pierrot costume, Bell asked him to strip away some clothing, muss his hair and smear his make-up, and took some reference shots of this. Bell said these changes meant that:\n\r\n ‘This was an image no longer, wistful, pretty, safe or fey, but a glimpse of glamour in its dangerous extremity; decadent and blatantly seductive...’\n\r\nBell recalled that Bowie, impressed by these images, told Bell that ‘… “[the cover’s] only yours”, with the sole restriction: his fair hair had to be painted as though hennaed, because in America he was known as ‘”the red haired bi-sexual”.’\n\r\nBell created an original piece of artwork based on the reference shots that he took of Bowie in his distressed Pierrot costume (LOAN:AMERICASFOUNDATION.2591-2024). Ultimately, it was this piece of art that was used for the album cover. Bell also created another piece of art entitled ‘Glamour’ based on the same photo session. (LOAN:AMERICASFOUNDATION.2642-2024). He recalled ‘Glamour used a transparency from the album cover photo session, whilst on the way to restyling the whole image. I remember being anxious to catch it before the long tail of ash tipped off the end of his cigarette. I projected and painted it for myself, but when Bowie visited my studio and saw it, he immediately bought it…’`","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Original artwork by Edward Bell, used as the album cover for <i>Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) </i> by David Bowie, 1980","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[{"text":"Album: Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980)","id":"AUTH401603"}],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["LOAN:AMERICASFOUNDATION.2591-2024"],"accessionNumberNum":"2591","accessionNumberPrefix":"LOAN:AMERICASFOUNDATION","accessionYear":2024,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"David Bowie Archive Number","id":"THES394108"},"number":"1980.3009.0130"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-05-27","recordCreationDate":"2024-10-03","availableToBook":false}}