Rare Photographs of Prince, Grace Jones, Kanye West and More Go up for Sale

In order to support the entertainment industry impacted by COVID-19 and fight racial injustice, VaultWorks is releasing never-before-seen photographs of music icons like David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Prince and Kanye West. 25 percent of proceeds from the sale of the limited edition prints will be donated to MusiCares, the affiliated charity of the Recording Academy and Color of Change.

The photographs were taken by acclaimed British photographers Phil Knott, Tim Brett-Day and Derrek Santini. One photograph by Brett-Day captures Jamaican model, singer and record producer Grace Jones. The shot was an outtake for the Evening Standard magazine. “This was probably my favorite shoot ever,” Brett-Day explains. “She started at 1 a.m., there were all these oysters and she had a certain vintage of red wine so I thought to myself this is going to be really difficult. It was the opposite. We shot all night until 10 a.m. the next morning. She asked for a print and sent me back a signed album.”

Another art print included in the sale was an outtake from the shoot for David Bowie’s Hours, the first complete album by a major artist available to download over the internet. “It was a call that came absolutely out of the blue,” Brett-Day says. “I was sitting at home watching television with my wife when Bowie rang. I thought it was someone doing an impression at first because he’s got such a distinct voice. I kept asking who this was whilst he was laughing, and this went on for about 5 minutes. I was sure that someone was playing a joke.” Other photographs feature Aaliyah, Guru, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and Rhianna.

Ranging from $100 USD to $1,000 USD, the art prints can be purchased now on VaultWorks’ website. Less than 200 editions of each print are available.

In other news, check out this week’s notable art releases by influential Black artists.