Are you a fan of David Bowie? Here’s his new exclusive Bowie Odyssée exhibition in Le Palace theater!
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Don’t miss the unmistakable Bowie Odyssée exhibition, which gathers for the second time more than 1,000 objects collected by fans of David Bowie. After a first round in 2018 in Saint-Etienne, this time the concept gets hosted by the mythical Theatre Le Palace theater and former favorite Parisian club of this legendary British artist. Take the time to come through from December 15, 2020 until March 28, 2021, while paying some tribute to this fabulous singer, who died on January 10, 2016, through the prism of the passion of his numerous fans.Indeed, based on the contribution here of two of the main collectors of the World, that we got on interview here, you would have then the chance to explore a part of the souvenirs from his multifaceted path long of 50 years.
Since, this musical exhibition is subtitled “50 years of fan mania”, you would face the proof that David Bowie eventually arose as a real icon for many of his fans. Therefore, these countless objects presented there were carefully and chronologically selected, in order to appreciate their rarity. For instance, you would navigate through posters, photos, promotional items (press kits, POS …) and all kinds of derivative products (such as a Coca-Cola customized can and even his birth certificate) that retrace his own style spread between music, cinema, literature and even contemporary art! Naturally supported by the huge collection of vinyl records, mainly lent by the Radio France discotheque and an original jukebox able to play any of your favorite songs at your demand! By Alex Plato
As a matter of fact, this Bowie Odyssée exhibition is organized from December 15th 2020, around an original perspective made to stand out from anything that had been done so far around the long artist‘s career (photo credits: Alex Plato).
Indeed, throughout the exhibition concerts will be held at the Palace. The Bowie Odyssée had, in a slightly different version, already been presented in Saint-Étienne in the fall of 2018, inside the Cité du Design site. Already successful at that, as part of the fortieth edition of the Rhino Jazz Festival, since 4,000 people visited it in only 14 days. The same winning formula was continued and still programmed under the supervision of Ludovic Chazalon, the initiator of this fabulous exhibition and in association with the curator Eric Tandy.
As we have seen earlier, this event has been as well captioned “50 years of fan mania”, which already guides us into the contents of the objects showcased into this Palace theater, which also used to be formerly a famous disco club in the late 1970s and early 1980s, thus so highly prized for Parisian nights. In summary, more than a thousand of ultra rare pieces are luckily exhibited, all coming from private collections. Therefore, this countless ensemble of treasures were patiently and meticulously built by insatiable fans, who were ready to do anything to acquire a disc, poster or even any promotional item to complete the database of their idol!
From there, an incredible mixture of truly diverse relics which sum up fifty years of an intense musical path which also crossed beautiful escapades into cinema, theater and even in contemporary art.
Furthermore, in this Bowie Odyssée exhibition, take some time to admire the series of photos taken by Mick Rock when Bowie was Ziggy Stardust, provided by the Toulouse-based company Autantyk. Then, the visitor may be amazed by the mass of vinyls coming from all over the world, sometimes with mind-blowing covers, thanks to particularly the loan from Yves Gardes. For your information, this passionate is much into 45 rpm records; a small format which had once very often large visuals.
Thereafter, you would be immersed in the huge collection of Jean-Charles Gautier which occupy the rest of this exhibition hall, displaying its incredible personal collection that is one of the richest in the world about David Bowie‘s fan items, if not the richest. Mostly composed of unique and sometimes confusing original masterpieces, like his birth certificate, edited on January 8th, 1947, within his native name of David Robert Jones. This invaluable document is a genuine example of the different things that this enthusiast, who discovered David Bowie at the time of Space Oddity, chose to share to exhibit. In order to built his quest of rare objects, the collector notably maintained a network of correspondents throughout the World. In fact, during nearly fifty years, he has been searching for everything that can be associated with his idol, from the simple Ziggy Stardust trinket for teenagers to the giant poster taken from the pediment of a store on the Champs-Elysées.
Constantly focused on the precious lookout, Jean-Charles Gautier has often been in contact with record stores or record companies around the World, with the insatiable goal to recover a promotional display or a POS (material For Sale) bearing the effigy from the chameleon rock star. Long before the recycling concept, those items were upcycled in a new life, otherwise they would have been unfortunately thrown away after use. For instance, among the atypical rarities presented at the exhibition, you would find for example advertising belt buckles and original press photos announcing a special event, such as a tour, a record or a film release.
Nonetheless, passing by press kits and first authenticated songbooks from the 1960s, until promotional material for more recent albums or films, the David Bowie timeline has been respected according to the personal wished of the main contributor of this presentation, Jean-Charles Gautier. Indeed, he was into paying a real tribute to his idol with whom he had many opportunities to exchange with, at many occasions and in many ways.
With the history of David Bowie is obviously linked to that of his recordings, the huge Discotheque fund of Radio France was mobilized to fulfill and impulse this Odyssey, full of colors and surprises, by exhibiting some walls adorned by a myriad of LP and 45 rpm covers, released from their secret musical archives.
Bowie Odyssée exhibition, from December 15, 2020 until March 28, 2021, at Le Palace Theater.
About Le Palace theater, it was originally a cinema hall, inaugurated in 1912 under the name Gaumont Color name. Before becoming a music-hall in 1921, notably featuring different dancing reviews, including the Dolly Sisters in the midst of increasingly sumptuous sets, along many concerts of popular French singers of that time, such as Maurice Chevalier.
Then, after a long period of abandon, and with a wish to pursue this show business, the event planner Fabrice Emaer acquired the Palace and renovated it into a trendy night club. Apart from its numerous crazy parties, the place, essentially inspired by the Studio 54 in New York, an average of one hundred concerts were organized every year, highlighting many upcoming singers, like Prince or Grace Jones. By the way, this illustrious James Bond girl performed her cover of La Vie en Rose at the opening show of Le Palace on March 1, 1978. This original song of Edith Piaf would eventually become some kind of Le Palace hymn (photo credits: Arnaud Baumann & Charles Duprat).
Very quickly, Le Palace became a real fashionable place, welcoming up to 1,500 people a night, served by around one hundred permanent employees, dressed in flamboyant red and gold suits, designed by Thierry Mugler.
Le Palace Theater / 8 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre, 75009 Paris (France) / Phone : 00 33 (0)1 48 74 03 65
