From Studio 54 to Warhol: why the star-dusted ’70s are the focus of two major exhibitions
Two must-see exhibitions on opposite sides of the pond, chronicling Andy Warhol and Studio 54, are proof that the ’70s are still very much in favor, writes LAURA NEILSON
“In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” So goes the fabled Andy Warhol expression, which first appeared in print in 1968. Since then, the phrase has lent itself to various iterations and abbreviated versions – the words changing ever so slightly – yet the meaning persists. As for Mr Warhol, well, let’s just say that 15 minutes is nothing compared to the span of his own enduring legacy.
Beginning this month, London’s Tate Modern gallery presents Andy Warhol, a retrospective featuring some of the superstar pop artist’s most celebrated images and screen prints (think Campbell’s soup cans and Marilyn Monroe), alongside many works that have never been shown before in the UK. Concurrently, the Brooklyn Museum flashes back to Warhol’s era as well, more specifically the glittery days of Studio 54, where Warhol was a regular patron. Studio 54: Night Magic chronicles the history of the legendary New York nightclub and its lasting impact on club culture, fashion and design through various mediums such as photography, fashion and film.
The timing of these two major shows is more than just a coincidence. Whether it’s through pop culture, art and design, or runway fashion, our collective nostalgia for the glamorous, star-dusted, disco-fueled ’70s seems insatiable of late. So what is it about that era that continues to allure and influence us today?
““In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes”
”Andy Warhol, 1968
In many ways the ’70s are back: as the United States heads towards a momentous election and Britain faces its own post-Brexit fate, the unrest and sociopolitical turmoil of that bygone decade seems eerily similar. The past few years alone have proven how the women’s movement, from reproductive rights to #MeToo, is as crucial and urgent as ever, not to mention the call for greater LGBTQ+ rights. In times of uncertainty, it’s a natural human inclination to seek out the familiar, however unsettling. And if history is any indication, there’s solace in knowing that this too shall pass.
“Both Warhol and Studio 54 were emblematic of exciting possibilities, ambition and desires
”
Both Warhol and Studio 54 (era-defining icons in their own rights) were emblematic of exciting possibilities, ambition and desires, however unattainable or imaginary. Warhol embodied the ultimate American dream: the notion that a son of working-class immigrants could be an unabashedly gay outsider, and not only find his crowd but also achieve fame through his art and persona. Also on view at the Tate are more than two dozen pieces from Warhol’s Ladies and Gentlemen series, a portrait collection of black and Latinx drag queens and trans women. Even in the liberal atmosphere of the ’70s, these provocative, original images were considered ahead of their time due to their fringe subjects. Today, recognition of the drag and trans communities has improved, yet seeing Warhol’s works in the context of the past and the present is a sobering reminder that inclusivity for all remains a pervasive and urgent cause.
Studio 54, meanwhile, represented feverish escapism and endless hedonism – stayin’ alive and ignoring the reality of one’s daily hardships in the most fabulous way possible. Legendary for its celebrity guest list and the infamous antics that went on inside, the storied opera-house-turned-nightclub inspired endless crowds of hopeful patrons to believe that, if allowed behind the velvet rope, they too could partake in this mythical experience – even if just for one night. As the Brooklyn Museum’s exhibition aptly implies, Night Magic hints at the reverie that anything was possible before the dawn of the next day.
“Studio 54 represented feverish escapism and endless hedonism… the reverie that anything was possible before the dawn of the next day
”
For many, the two exhibitions may even satisfy a nostalgia for a time we didn’t actually experience, or at least not first-hand. Under its original owners, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell, Studio 54 operated for just three years. That period was brief, but the legend of those epic nights glimmers on. And then there’s nostalgia for a time beyond our own, also known as anemoia. For those who were too young to have experienced or fully remember the ’70s, yet nonetheless find themselves yearning for a rosier, imagined version of that time, these exhibitions may at least bring them one step closer to the glamour – no velvet rope required.