A rare original Pink Floyd cover art has been found in a Surrey charity shop, surprising volunteers and music fans alike.
Surrey: You won’t believe what just turned up in a charity shop! A volunteer named Leigh Dorling stumbled upon an original Pink Floyd cover art while sorting through donations. Can you imagine? This piece dates back to the 1980s!
Leigh, who’s 60 and from Chertsey, was shocked when he found the artwork among a pile of prints. He knew it was something special and quickly reported it to his bosses. They decided to hold onto it for a bit, just in case the previous owner wanted it back. But no one came forward, so Leigh jumped at the chance to buy it.
Once he had it, Leigh started digging into its history. Turns out, the artwork features a blue female figure created by Tim Davies, who was discovered by Storm Thorgerson, a well-known director in the music scene. Leigh even got a letter of authenticity from Tim himself!
Back in 1988, Tim was working for a design company in London when he was asked to whip up some cover art in a hurry. He used clippings from fashion magazines and oil pastels to create this stunning piece. But when he returned to the studio the next day, it was gone!
It seems Storm and a member of Pink Floyd had dropped by and took Tim’s work, which ended up being used for a big advertising campaign. He only got £50 for it, which is wild considering its value now!
Pink Floyd, the legendary band formed in 1965, is known for their thought-provoking music and social commentary. This particular artwork was actually banned in the U.S. for being too risqué. It was meant for the single “One Slip” but didn’t make the cut due to censorship issues.
Leigh is thrilled to have found this piece. He joked that Pink Floyd fans would be eager to get their hands on it. But he’s not selling it anytime soon. He feels it’s irreplaceable and plans to take it with him if he ever moves abroad to join his family in Thailand.
While Leigh isn’t sure how much it’s worth, he found out that a similar piece sold for around £1.8 million in San Francisco. He’s grateful to Tim Davies for confirming its authenticity and for taking the time to chat with him.
