The 52-year-old was named Commander of Arts and Literature - Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres - for his lifetime of achievement in music.

The ceremony was held in Paris, just before Bowie was due to take the stage for his sell-out concert at the Elysée Montmartre theatre.

Bowie has moved with the times

Bowie was also in Paris to promote his latest album "Hours...", which he said: "was exactly what he wanted to do this year."

The singer told French television he had no idea what the year 2000 would bring but expected to continue to provoke through his art.

Long regarded as one the enfants terribles of rock, he said: "When you create a work of art, whatever the genre, even if you don't want to provoke, you do."

Bowie has managed to stay at the forefront of the worlds of music, movies and art for some 30 years.

From the release of Space Oddity in 1969 to his "hours..." album, he's become the chameleon of rock.

He's also starred in films, notably 1982's Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, acted on Broadway in 1980's Elephant Man and staged his own art exhibitions.

Last month he became the first major act in the world to release an album on the Internet with the backing of his record company before it arrived in the shops.

Self-portraits sold via Bowie's Website, BowieNet

Fans in North America could download tracks from Bowie's own Internet service provider, BowieNet, which also features news and sport.

He also broke new ground two years ago with an Internet-only release of his drum 'n' bass single Telling Lies and has sold his own works of art on the Web.

Bowie has also contributed his image, voice and eight new songs to a futuristic video game called Omikron: The Nomad Soul which also features his wife, Iman.

Last weekend he joined other major rock artists, including Geroge Michael, Bono and Sting at the NetAid global fundraiser which he helped to launch.