From 17 April to 12 July 2026, the spaces of the Musa Art Gallery in Turin will host “David Bowie, my brother”, a project conceived by David lawrence together with Francesco LongoAfter the French stages, the exhibition arrives in Italy for the first time, proposing an unconventional reading of the work and figure of David Bowie.
The exhibition eschews the traditional retrospective approach and instead constructs a thematic itinerary, in which photographs, texts, and materials interact without following a linear chronology. What emerges is a layered narrative, encompassing the musician's artistic transformations, highlighting both continuities and fractures.
Terry Burns' central role
The key element of the project is the figure of Terry Burns, the artist's half-brother and a key figure in his development. The exhibition uses this connection as an interpretative lens: not simply a biographical detail, but a narrative device that guides the reading of the entire journey.
Through Terry, Bowie came into contact with a broad and complex cultural universe, which included literature, jazz and the visual arts. Authors such as Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs e Jean Genet they become references destined to settle in his artistic production.
The relationship between the two, also marked by Terry's mental illness, is reflected in several of Bowie's works, including the song All the MadmenThe exhibition conveys this complexity without indulging in an exclusively private narrative, but rather maintaining a balance between the personal dimension and the public construction of artistic identity.
An archive of images and relationships
The exhibition brings together photographs from different contexts, including shots by authors who followed Bowie throughout his career, such as Denis O'Regan, Philippe Auliac e Michel HaddiThe images are organized into thematic sequences that connect moments, influences, and encounters.
Alongside the artist's portraits appear figures that outline his human and creative context: from Lou Reed a Iggy Pop, Brian Eno a John Lennon, up to references that go beyond music, such as Pablo Picasso e William Shakespeare.
The result is a network of relationships that reflects the complexity of the influences underlying Bowie's work, in an ongoing dialogue between different disciplines.
Texts and images in reverse shot
One of the project's distinctive elements is the relationship between writing and photography. The texts do not serve a didactic function, but rather construct a narrative counterpoint that accompanies the visitor throughout the exhibition. This parallel narrative suggests connections, opens up interpretations, and helps redefine the meaning of the images.
This approach reflects the curatorial practice of David Lawrence, who has worked for over thirty years between Europe, Morocco, and the United States, developing projects that intertwine documentary materials and narrative.
Publications and insights
The exhibition is accompanied by two publications available on site: the catalogue David Bowie, My Brother, with contributions from various photographers and scholars, and the eponymous biographical novel by David Lawrence. Both volumes expand the exhibition, offering further levels of interpretation.
Information and press preview
“David Bowie, My Brother” will be on view at the Musa Art Gallery (Via della Consolata 11/E, Turin) from April 17 to July 12, 2026. The press preview is scheduled for Friday, April 17, at 12:30 pm, in the presence of the curators.
In an exhibition context that avoids linear celebration and favours complexity, the exhibition thus proposes a reinterpretation of David Bowie through an intimate perspective and, at the same time, capable of illuminating the entire span of his artistic construction.
