In 2020, a shopper browsing a household goods donation centre in South River, Ontario, spotted a small painting tucked among discarded items and paid just C$5 for it.
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shopper → browse → it
The buyer soon noticed a label on the reverse reading David Bowie and contacted auction house Cowley Abbott to investigate.
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buyer → notice → Abbott
After research and correspondence with a Bowie specialist in the UK, experts confirmed the work as an original from the musician's Dead Heads series, and in June 2021 it sold at auction for C$108,120, setting a new global record for a David Bowie artwork, according to a post on Cowleyabbott.ca.
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it → confirm → Cowleyabbott.ca
From a donation bin to a global auction
The painting, titled D Head XLVI, was found in the most unexpected of places, a donation centre for household goods in Northern Ontario.
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painting → title → Ontario
The consignor was astonished to see the label bearing Bowie's name and realised that the signature on the reverse was that of the artist himself.
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signature → astonish → artist
What began as a casual purchase for just C$5 quickly became a story that captured the attention of collectors and media outlets around the world.
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that → begin → world
Cowley Abbott performed due diligence before listing the work, including direct correspondence with a David Bowie specialist in the United Kingdom.
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Abbott → perform → Kingdom
Their research confirmed that the painting was indeed by Bowie and was part of a series that he completed in the 1990s.
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he → confirm → 1990s
The authentication process was crucial given the rarity of Bowie’s paintings at auction and the need to establish provenance for a work found in such an unlikely setting, according to the report.
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process → give → report
Bowie as a painter and collector
Photo: cowley abbott/ Instagram
David Robert Jones, known to the world as David Bowie, was far more than a music icon.
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Jones → know → icon
He studied art and design as a young man, a background that nurtured a lifelong love of fine art.
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that → study → art
Bowie was also a passionate collector and painter, influenced by modernist trends of the twentieth century including the German expressionists, Francis Bacon and the London School of painters.
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Bowie → influence → painters
His own paintings rarely appeared at auction, which made the discovery of D Head XLVI all the more significant.
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discovery → appear → XLVI
The work carries stylistic echoes of those influences, blending expressionist energy with the bold, figurative approach associated with Bowie's visual identity.
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work → carry → identity
For collectors, the chance to own an original Bowie painting is rare, and the South River find offered exactly that opportunity.
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find → own → opportunity
The Dead Heads series explained
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series → explain → ?
Between 1995 and 1997, Bowie created a series of approximately 47 works on canvas that he titled Dead Heads, or D Head for short.
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he → create → that
Each title included a non-sequential Roman numeral, giving the series a distinctive numbering system.
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title → include → system
The sitters for these portraits ranged from band members and friends to acquaintances and even self-portraits, highlighting Bowie’s broad circle of collaborators and influences, according to Cowley Abbott’s post.
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sitters → range → post
Some of the paintings in the series are thought to be inspired by Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust period, when his visual persona was just as influential as his music.
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persona → think → music
D Head XLVI depicts a subject with long hair and a prominent profile, painted in an energetic and enigmatic style.
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Head → depict → style
The label did not confirm the sitter’s identity, but the work remains a rare representation from a renowned artist whose visual output is often overshadowed by his musical legacy.
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output → confirm → legacy
A record-breaking auction outcome
The painting was offered at Cowley Abbott’s Spring International Art Auction, which closed June 24, 2021, and caught the attention of collectors in Canada and beyond.
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which → break → Canada
The pre-sale estimate was C$9,000 to C$12,000, given the uncertainty of a piece with such an unusual provenance.
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estimate → give → provenance
But bidding quickly exceeded those expectations, with the final hammer price reaching C$108,120, nearly ten times the high end of the estimate, according to a report by Cbc.ca.
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price → exceed → Cbc.ca
That achievement set a new world auction record for a David Bowie work, eclipsing past sales of his paintings.
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achievement → set → paintings
The mystique was enhanced by the fact the artwork was discovered in a donation center and the story struck a chord with art collectors and fans of Bowie.
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story → enhance → Bowie
The story had a far reach after being picked up by media outlets including The Globe and Mail and The Daily Mail.
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story → have → Globe
Why the discovery connected with people
The story of a C$5 purchase that became a six-figure sale strikes a chord because it combines luck, curiosity and the lasting power of celebrity.
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it → connect → celebrity
The shopper who found the painting wasn’t out looking to buy art but rather stumbled on a piece that was worth far more than expected.
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that → find → piece
That element of surprise is part of what makes stories such as this so beguiling.
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stories → make → this
For the art world, the sale also underscored the value of provenance and authentication.
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sale → underscore → provenance
A label on the reverse of a canvas can be the key to unlocking a work's history, and in this case it led directly to confirmation that the painting was by one of the twentieth century's most iconic figures.
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painting → unlock → figures
The Cowley Abbott blog notes that Bowie's own work rarely appears at auction, making each new discovery a significant event for collectors.
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discovery → note → collectors
Bowie's visual legacy beyond music
David Bowie’s paintings reveal a deeply personal side of his creative mind, far beyond his famous music and film roles.
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paintings → reveal → music
His love of visual art directly influenced his iconic stage alter egos and album covers.
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love → influence → egos
In works like D Head XLVI, he brought the same raw intensity and unique visual voice to the canvas that defined his legendary sound.
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that → bring → sound
When D Head XLVI sold for a record C$108,120, it demonstrated that collectors value his art as an integral piece of his cultural legacy.
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collectors → sell → legacy
Beyond the astonishing profit for the buyer, it’s a great reminder that extraordinary treasures can hide in plain sight.
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treasures → ’ → sight
The Aporia
