Nightclubs

In the 1980s culture-loving New Yorkers not only attended gallery openings, theater events and movies, but also participated in New York’s flourishing nightclub scene. While music and dancing were the main attraction, clubs also hosted art exhibitions, performances, fashion, film and video. During these years, almost every gallery opening, film…

Invitations, posters and other nightclub ephemera document the important role that clubs played in the creative spirit of Downtown NYC in the 1980s. The Mudd Club, Club 57, AREA, Danceteria, Palladium and other clubs were key venues for curators, performance artists, photographers, filmmakers and clothing designers. Gallery 98 spotlights some of these club stars…

Back in the 1980s nightclubs were not just places to drink and cruise. They were also an important venue for the city’s cultural scene, a gathering spot where artists, musicians, designers, writers, performers and filmmakers exchanged ideas and networked during one of NYC’s most creative periods.

Next month, the Brooklyn Museum will be celebrating New York’s most infamous nightclub of the 1970s with the exhibition Studio 54: Night Magic, from March 13 to July 5. One of the artists featured in the exhibition will be Anton Perich who frequently made photographs at Studio 54 and also published NIGHT, a…