What happens when one of the world's most iconic artists steps away from the spotlight to spend a quiet day with outsider artists in a psychiatric clinic? Photographer Christine de Grancy was there to capture it – and now, for the first time in Western Australia, we're bringing these extraordinary images to Joondalup.
On 8 September 1994, David Bowie – accompanied by Brian Eno, André Heller and photographer Christine de Grancy – entered the grounds of the Gugging Psychiatric Clinic near Vienna. This wasn't a casual photo opportunity. Bowie's own family history included his half-brother Terry Burns, whose schizophrenia and tragic suicide haunted Bowie's life and work. At Gugging, he encountered something profound: a community of Art Brut creators, patients who had become internationally recognised artists, including Oswald Tschirtner, Johann Hauser, Johann Garber and August Walla.
Presented in collaboration with Santa Monica Art Museum, this major exhibition transforms the Joondalup Contemporary Art Gallery into a space of reflection on creativity, mental health, authenticity and the power of art to bridge worlds. Whether you're a lifelong Bowie devotee or simply curious about the man behind the legend, this exhibition offers an unprecedented window into a transformative moment in music history.
On 8 September 1994, David Bowie – accompanied by Brian Eno, André Heller and photographer Christine de Grancy – entered the grounds of the Gugging Psychiatric Clinic near Vienna. This wasn't a casual photo opportunity. Bowie's own family history included his half-brother Terry Burns, whose schizophrenia and tragic suicide haunted Bowie's life and work. At Gugging, he encountered something profound: a community of Art Brut creators, patients who had become internationally recognised artists, including Oswald Tschirtner, Johann Hauser, Johann Garber and August Walla.
Presented in collaboration with Santa Monica Art Museum, this major exhibition transforms the Joondalup Contemporary Art Gallery into a space of reflection on creativity, mental health, authenticity and the power of art to bridge worlds. Whether you're a lifelong Bowie devotee or simply curious about the man behind the legend, this exhibition offers an unprecedented window into a transformative moment in music history.