Guy Marineau, 'Pat Cleveland on the dance floor during Halston's disco bash at Studio 54' (1977). — Image courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum via AFP

NEW YORK, Sept 16 — “Studio 54: Night Magic” will explore the trailblazing aesthetics and cultural impact of the legendary New York City nightclub, which was open from April 1977 to February 1980.

The exhibition, organised by the museum's senior curator of fashion and material culture Matthew Yokobosky, will feature nearly 650 objects ranging from fashion, photography, drawings, film and music.

Among them are 50 costume sketches by fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez that have not been on public view in over 40 years, as well as a selection of rarely-seen ephemera salvaged by members of the original club staff.

The design of “Studio 54: Night Magic” is inspired by the nightclub's original lighting and ambience, highlighting the popular music of the era.

That includes Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive, which became a disco anthem after it was championed by Studio 54's DJ Richie Kaczor, as well as Chic's 1978 hit Le Freak. The band famously wrote the song after being denied entry to the nightclub's 1977 New Year's Eve party.

The exhibition retraces the development of Studio 54 in the 1980s, which emerged from the shadow of the Vietnam War and amid the Civil Rights, women's and LGBTQ+ movements.

It was in a nearly bankrupted New York City that Brooklyn-based entrepreneurs Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell decided to create a new cutting-edge nightclub, installing it in a former opera house in Midtown Manhattan.

During the 33 months that Studio 54 was open, the club attracted a crowd of influential artists, fashion designers, musicians and celebrities. Among them are Andy Warhol, Cher, Elizabeth Taylor, Mick Jagger, Truman Capote, Liza Minnelli and others.

The show at the Brooklyn Museum will notably feature a vast collection of photographs chronicling Studio 54's entire history, with works by renowned photographers like Ron Galella, Rose Hartman, Larry Fink, Anton Perish and more.

“At this current moment in history, when struggles for liberation often collide with restrictive social norms, we are excited to present 'Studio 54: Night Magic.' The exhibition encourages visitors to reflect on a significant era in our shared history and challenges us to consider the future and the many ways we can create a freer and more just world,” Anne Pasternak, the Brooklyn Museum's Shelby White and Leon Levy Director, said in a statement.

The exhibition “Studio 54: Night Magic”https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/studio_54?utm_source=DesignTAXI&utm_medium=DesignTAXI&utm_term=DesignTAXI&utm_content=DesignTAXI&utm_campaign=DesignTAXI will be on view from March 13 to July 5, 2020 at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City. — AFP-Relaxnews