From Gallery 98’s collection of Nightclub Ephemera, 1970s-90s.
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.
Gallery 98 offers here invitation cards and posters from Studio 54, AREA, Limelight, Danceteria, Palladium and other legendary clubs that loom large whenever the cultural history of the 1980s is told.
Xenon, Everybody Hates Punk, 1978
“Everybody Hates Punk” a poster for a party presented by Tad Shaffer at Xenon, Sunday, October 29, 1978. Printed on newsprint. 11.5 x 16.5 inches; Originally folded and has some creasing.
The poster reproduces a newspaper page with a headline about the death of Nancy Spungeon and the arrest of Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols, a horrific event that took place just two weeks earlier.
Palladium, Fela Kuti Post-Concert Party, 1986
Fela Anikulapo Kuti, post-concert party at the Palladium, Saturday, November 8, 1986, card, 5.5 x 8.5 inches.
Fela Kuti’s concert at the Felt Forum marked a triumphant return to New York following the politically outspoken performer’s release from an 18-month imprisonment in Nigeria.
Studio 54, Bow Wow Wow, 1981
Promotional 7-inch vinyl record. Invitation for a Bow Wow Wow party at Studio 54, Wednesday, September 30, 1981.
Following the breakup of the Sex Pistols, English promoter Malcolm McLaren created and managed other groups including Bow Wow Wow. This 45rpm record (a limited pressing of 2000) doubled as the invitation for a Bow Wow Wow performance and party at Studio 54 to promote their first American tour.
Limelight, Birthday Tribute to Salvador Dalí, 1985
Birthday tribute for Salvador Dali hosted by John Stevens and Silver People Gallery, Limelight, Wednesday, May 8,1985. Folded card, 5.5 x 8.5 inches.
Dalí first worked with Jon Stevens in 1975 when he commissioned a performance with the Silver People in conjunction with his opening at the Knoedler Gallery in New York.
Danceteria, Opening Night, 1982
Danceteria, Opening Night at West 21st Street, Thursday, February 4, 1982. Double-sided poster, 11.25 x 15 inches; Originally folded and has some creasing.
Danceteria’s original location on West 37th Street came to a sudden end when police closed it for lack of a liquor license or proper permits. This poster announces the grand re-opening of Danceteria at its most famous location on West 21st Street with performances by Rough Trade and REM.
Limelight, Poster by David LaChapelle, 1985
“A phantasmagorical trip from the bottom of your platform shoe to the top of your disco do,” Limelight, Wednesday, October 2, 1985. Poster 10″ x 15;″ Originally folded and has some creasing.
This poster is by commercial and fine arts photographer David LaChapelle, who is known for capturing the over-the-top excesses of the 1980s.
AREA, Halloween Invite Silk Screen Bandana, 1984
Invitation for AREA’s Halloween Party, Wednesday, October 31, 1984. Silk screen printed on a black bandana, approx. 14.5 x 14.5 inches.
AREA, perhaps New York’s artsiest nightclub, changed its theme and decor monthly. They also specialized in elaborately produced invitations.
Project X, Nightlife Magazine, 1989/90
Project X, issue #12, December/January, 1989/90. Offset print on paper, 72 pages. 8.25 x 10.75 inches.
This magazine published by Rudolf and co-edited by Julie Jewels and Michael Alig, was devoted exclusively to nightlife, and captured the decadence that marked the final years of what, in retrospect, was surely a golden age of nightclubs. The magazine came to an end when co-editor Michael Alig, the leader of a group of party-goers called the “Club Kids,” pleaded guilty to the killing of a member of his group in 1996.
To see more nightclub ephemera from the 1970s and ’80s visit Gallery 98’s Nightclub Invites page.
