AREA THE NIGHT CLUB AS ART by GLENN O’BRIEN
Night pictures by OLIVIER ZAHM
purple dinners by STÉPHANE FEUGÈRE
AREA. Even the name proclaimed the concept, intentions, and ambitions of the new nightclub: to be unlike anything that preceded it. Area? A prescribed-extent two-dimensional planar surface. It could have been called Space, but that would have been too 2001. Area had the perfectly circumscribed tone to describe an unprecedented project.
Area was named the way artists reckon a place. It had the deadpan formality of Artists Space (1972), The Performing Garage (1975), or Storefront for Art and Architecture (1982). And as Area revealed itself, it was essentially a space that was made to be completely built up and torn down repeatedly in a series of thematic identities. It was to be nightclub as art.
Nightlife had flirted with art before. In 1912 Frida Strindberg, the wife of the playwright, opened the Cave of the Golden Calf in a London basement. It was decorated by the painters Spencer Gore and Charles Ginner, the avant-garde sculptor Jacob Epstein, and Wyndham Lewis, the writer, painter, and founder of Vorticism. In 1916 Dadaists Hugo Ball and Emmy Hennings created the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich in association with other artists, including Tristan Tzara and Jean Arp.
In the 1960s, under the influence of the “happenings” movement, Andy Warhol created a multimedia show called The Exploding Plastic Inevitable featuring the Velvet Underground and Nico, with Edie Sedgwick, Gerard Malanga, and Ronnie Cutrone as dancers, accompanied by films and a light show. Originally housed in a Polish club, the Dom, it was more of a traveling happening than a nightclub, but it presented art in a club context.
In the ’60s and early ’70s Mickey Ruskin’s restaurant, Max’s Kansas City, was decorated with works by New York’s most prominent artists in exchange for food and drink (mostly drink), and later Ruskin establishments, including the Lower Manhattan Ocean Club and Chinese Chance, were similar artists’ dens.
The first press Area received ran in Interview magazine: Christopher, Shawn, Joe Weiner, Eric, and Darius, 1983, photographer unknown
The first Area invitation, 1983, photo by Darius Azari
Invitation for the opening of Art, 1985, photo by Michael Haisband
For Food, Mark Garbarino turned the pool into alphabet soup and Kenny Baird served cocktails, 1984
Bernard Zette as Anne Frank in her attic, 1984, photo by Volker Hinz
Andy Warhol with Work in Progress in Hall Window, 1985, photo by Peter Serling
Madonna and Eric, 1985, photo by Ben Buchanan
Permanent Vacation by Jim Jarmusch poster at Le Scandale, Paris, July 2013
Gotland, Sweden
Olivier Zahm and Katja Rahlwes at the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
Malgosia Bela at the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur at the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
At the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
At the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
Natacha Ramsay and Frédéric Beigbeder at the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
Olivier Amsellem at the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
Vincent Darré and Thomas Lélu at the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
Vincent Darré, Natacha Ramsay and Aleksandra Woroniecka at the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
Max Farago at the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
All at the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
A work by Christopher Wool at his retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, November 2013
Jennifer Eymère and a friend at the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
Victoria Olloqui and Natacha Ramsay at the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
Natacha Ramsay and Cédric Rivrain at the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
Mona Walravens at the Lui magazine relaunch party, Paris, September 2013
Elle Muliarchyk, New York, September 2013
Stephen Sprouse, Lisa Robinson, and Steven Meisel, photo by Kate Simon
Ad that appeared in Details for the opening of the Science Fiction theme, 1985
Mitch and his parrot Chico in the men’s bathroom during the Art theme, 1983, photo by Volker Hinz
Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Laure Heriard Dubreuil and Paul Sevigny at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Gaia Repossi and Jeremy Everett at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Max Snow and Waris Ahluwalia at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Robert Montgomery, Lucy Newman, Paula Goldstein di Principe, Tati Cotliar, and Lily McMenamy at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Robert Longo and Barbara Sukowa at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Natalie White at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Terry Richardson and Abel Ferrara at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Jennifer Eymère and Emilie Kareh at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Karen Elson and Terry Richardson at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Kenza Fourati and Johan Lindeberg at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Liz Goldwyn at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Andrew Richardson and Camille Bidault Waddington at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Olivier Zahm and Lindsay Lohan at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
M.I.A. and Saif Mahdi at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Aaron de Mey and Ashley Smith at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
David Sims and Aleksandra Woroniecka at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Abel Ferrara and Francesco Clemente at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Sabine Heller and Adrien Brody at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Tati Cotliar and Lily McMenamy Jefferson Hack at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013.
Jefferson Hack at the Purple dinner with Proenza Schouler at Paul’s Baby Grand, New York, September 2013
Cleo Le Tan and Alex Detrick at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Theo Wenner and Aleksandra Woroniecka at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Aaron Young and Brain McPeck at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Lily Donaldson and Cyprien Gaillard at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Richard Phillips and Josephine Meckseper at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Mario Sorrenti and David Sims at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Lily Donaldson, Mary Frey, and Aleksandra Woroniecka at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
André Saraiva, Olivier Zahm, and Cecelia Stucker at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
André Balazs and Olivier Zahm at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Olivier Zahm and Aurel Schmidt at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Olivier Zahm and Sara Nataf at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Mark Hunter at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Michael Lillelund and Daniele Cavalli at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Philippe Combres at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Cecelia Stucker and Cory Kennedy at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Juergen Teller and Olivier Zahm at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Hailey Gates at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
André Saraiva and a friend at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Mademoiselle Yulia and Babymary Faline at the Purple party with Proenza Schouler and Chez André at the Top of The Standard, New York, September 2013
Ad that appeared in Details for the opening of the Carnival theme, 1985
Dance floor window, 1984, photo by Danuta Otfinowski
Lounge window, 1983, photo by Volker Hinz Ad
Ad that appeared in Details for the opening of the Obelisk theme, 1983, appropriated from the book Evidence by Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel
Emmanuelle Alt at Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur’s wedding
Li Galli Island at Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur’s wedding
Josephine de la Baume at Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur’s wedding
Jefferson Hack and Alison Mosshart at Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur’s wedding
Beth Ditto at Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur’s wedding
Malgosia Bela, Jean-Yves Le Fur, Kate Moss, and Jamie Hince at Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur’s wedding
Natacha Ramsay, Jennifer Eymère, and Camille Miceli at Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur’s wedding
Frédéric Beigbeder at Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur’s wedding
Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur at Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur’s wedding
Jamie Hince and Kate Moss at Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur’s wedding
Jennifer Eymère and Kathy Sledge at Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur’s wedding
Olivier Zahm and Chan Marshall at Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur’s wedding
Jamie Hince and Kate Moss at Malgosia Bela and Jean-Yves Le Fur’s wedding
A work by Christopher Wool at his retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, November 2013
Robert Montgomery and Camille Bidault Waddington at the AnOther Magazine after party at Paul's Baby Grand, New York, September 2013
Sante D’Orazio and a friend at the unveiling of Jeff Koons’s Balloon Venus for Dom Pérignon, New York, September 2013
Sky Ferreira and André Saraiva at the AnOther Magazine dinner at the Marlton, New York, September 2013
Tati Cotliar All at the Another magazine dinner at the Marlton, New York, September 2013
A bag by Yaz Bukey at the Yaz Bukey S/S 2014 presentation at Maison Darré, Paris, October 2013
Yaz Bukey with her models her S/S 2014 presentation at Maison Darré, Paris, October 2013
All at the Yaz Bukey S/S 2014 presentation at Maison Darré, Paris, October 2013
Mathilde Meyer, Vincent Darré, and Farida Khelfa at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Natacha Ramsay, Vincent Darré, and Marie Rucki at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Olympia Le Tan and Vincent Darré at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Haider Ackermann and Daniel de la Falaise at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Samuel François, Philip Utz, Natacha Ramsay, Cédric Rivrain, and Pierre Marie at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Arielle Dombasle and Vincent Darré at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Edouard Lehmann at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Eva Ionesco and Simon Liberati at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Bernard-Henri Lévy, Franca Sozzani, and Vincent Darré at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Ariel Wizman and Karl Lagerfeld at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Dominique Issermann, Vincent Darré, and Yves-Noël Genod at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Marisa Berenson at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Olivier Zahm and Ellen von Unwerth at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Marie-José Susskind-Jalou and Pierre Le Tan at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Lulu Gainsbourg and Aleksandra Woroniecka at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Yaz Bukey and Marie Marot at Vincent Darré’s dinner in celebration of his first issue of L’Officiel in homage to Jean Cocteau, Paris, October 2013
Drake Burnette at the Purple office, New York, December 2013
Givenchy S/S 2014 show at Halle Freyssinet, Paris, September 2013
Jean-Michel Basquiat, photo by Wolfgang Wesener
Letter from Federico Fellini, 1985
Werner Herzog and Deitmar Hammer, photo by Ben Buchanan
Ellen Kinnally and Marc Jacobs, photo by Patrick McMullan
Elie Top and Vincent Darré at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Betony Vernon and Kostas Murkudis at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Brad Elterman, Olivier Zahm, and Gaia Repossi at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Maxime Ballesteros at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Sven Schumann and Kostas Murkudis at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Lucy and Aaron Rose with André Saraiva at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Cleo Le Tan, Vincent Darré, and Camille Bidault Waddington at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Olivier Zahm and Lily McMenamy at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Suzanne von Aichinger, Betony Vernon, Jen Gilpin and Elie Top at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Alice Dellal, Caroline de Maigret, Saif Mahdi, and Lou Doillon at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Sonia Sieff and Natacha Ramsay at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Giasco Bertoli and Caroline Gaimari at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Yaz Bukey and Kira Lillie at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Lily McMenamy and the chef at Brasserie Balzar at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Mel Ottenberg, Katja Rahlwes, and Paul Graves at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar, Paris, September 2013
Alexis Dahan and Alice Aufray at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar and Party at Le Montana, Paris, September 2013.
Lou Doillon at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar and Party at Le Montana, Paris, September 2013.
Annabel Fernandes and Julia Camarero at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar and Party at Le Montana, Paris, September 2013.
Yasmine Eslami and Christophe Brunnquell at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar and Party at Le Montana, Paris, September 2013.
Caroline de Maigret and Lou Doillon at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar and Party at Le Montana, Paris, September 2013.
Lily McMenamy at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar and Party at Le Montana, Paris, September 2013.
Jennifer Eymère and Emilie Kareh at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar and Party at Le Montana, Paris, September 2013.
Emilie Kareh at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar and Party at Le Montana, Paris, September 2013.
Julien Fronsacq at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar and Party at Le Montana, Paris, September 2013.
Camille Bidault Waddington and Kostas Murkudis at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar and Party at Le Montana, Paris, September 2013.
Vincent Darré and Maxime Ballesteros at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar and Party at Le Montana, Paris, September 2013.
Vincent Darré, Mathias Augustyniak, and Maxime Ballesteros at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar and Party at Le Montana, Paris, September 2013.
Alice Dellal at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar and Party at Le Montana, Paris, September 2013.
Lily McMenamy and Katja Rahlwes at the Purple dinner with Closed at Brasserie Balzar and Party at Le Montana, Paris, September 2013.
Cleo Le Tan and Alex Dietrick at their wedding ceremony at the Palais Royal, Paris, October 2013
Mary Charteris and Robbie Furze at Cleo Le Tan and Alex Dietrick's wedding party at Hotel Amour, Paris, October 2013
Vanna and Taryn Youngstein at Cleo Le Tan and Alex Dietrick's wedding party at Hotel Amour, Paris, October 2013
Edouard Lehman and Thomas Lenthal at Cleo Le Tan and Alex Dietrick's wedding party at Hotel Amour, Paris, October 2013
Matthew Frost, Mickey Madden, and Robbie Furze at Cleo Le Tan and Alex Dietrick's wedding party at Hotel Amour, Paris, October 2013
Camille Bidault Waddington, Olympia Le Tan and Andrew Richardson at Cleo Le Tan and Alex Dietrick's wedding party at Hotel Amour, Paris, October 2013
Rémi Paringaux at Cleo Le Tan and Alex Dietrick's wedding party at Hotel Amour, Paris, October 2013
Nicolas Lhermitte and Marie de Noailles at Cleo Le Tan and Alex Dietrick's wedding party at Hotel Amour, Paris, October 2013
Alex Dietrick and Cleo Le Tan at their wedding party at Hotel Amour, Paris, October 2013
Victoire de Castellane and Cleo Le Tan at Cleo Le Tan and Alex Dietrick's wedding party at Hotel Amour, Paris, October 2013
Pete Drungle at his piano performance at Cité des Arts, Paris, September 2013
Joy Bianchi at inaugural gala of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts with Ferragamo, Los Angeles, October 2013
Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale at inaugural gala of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts with Ferragamo, Los Angeles, October 2013
China Chow and André Saraiva at inaugural gala of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts with Ferragamo, Los Angeles, October 2013
Michael Chow at inaugural gala of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts with Ferragamo, Los Angeles, October 2013
Tony and Liz Goldwin at inaugural gala of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts with Ferragamo, Los Angeles, October 2013
Doug Aitken and Lisa Eisner at inaugural gala of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts with Ferragamo, Los Angeles, October 2013
The Beverly Hills hotel, Los Angeles, October 2013
Stephan Lupino and a friend, photo by Patrick McMullan
Invitation to the Sex Obsession night, 1984
Bernard Zette during Art, 1984, photo by Wolfgang Wesener
Ryan McGinley, Jack Pierson, and a friend dinner at the Ryan McGinley "Body Loud" opening at Galerie Perrotin, Paris, Novermber 2013
Photo by Ryan McGinley at the Ryan McGinley "Body Loud" opening at Galerie Perrotin, Paris, Novermber 2013
André Saraiva and Emmanuel Perrotin at the Ryan McGinley "Body Loud" opening at Galerie Perrotin, Paris, Novermber 2013
Langley Fox Hemingway at Purple Institute, Paris, November 2013
Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and Miranda Kerr after the Vionnet S/S 2014 show, Paris, October 2013
A work by Christopher Wool at his retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, November 2013
Thierry Gillier and Cecilia Bonstrom at the Zadig & Voltaire dinner to celebrate the Christopher Wool exhibition at The Guggenheim, New York
Mark Borthwick and Maria Cornejo at their home, New York, December 2013
Terry Richardson, Russel Simins, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, André Saraiva, and a friend at their Thanksgiving dinner, New York,
Chloë Sevigny at her birthday party, New York, December 2013
Sean Lennon and Mark Ronson, New York, December 2013.
Kay Goldberg at the Purple office, New York, December 2013
André Saraiva and Dree Hemingway at Chloë Sevigny’s birthday party, New York, December 2013
Karley Sciortino and artist Jeanette Hayes, New York, December 2013
Karley Sciortino, New York, December 2013
Sandy Kim at the Purple office, New York, December 2013
Philippe Parreno’s show “Anywhere, Anywhere, Out Of The World” at Palais de Tokyo, Paris, November 2013
Philippe Morillon at a dinner in celebration of the newly decorated Prince de Galles Hotel patio by Vincent Darré, Paris, December 2013
Simon Liberati and Ingrid Caven at a dinner in celebration of the newly decorated Prince de Galles Hotel patio by Vincent Darré, Paris, December 2013
Simon Liberati, Vincent Darré, and Eva Ionesco at a dinner in celebration of the newly decorated Prince de Galles Hotel patio by Vincent Darré, Paris, December 2013
[Table of contents]
When Everyday Life Becomes Forms: Surinami, South America
by Viviane Sassen
night pictures
by Olivier Zahm and Stéphane Feugère with a portfolio on Area nightclub by Glenn O'Brien
by Hans Ulrich Obrist
by Miltos Manetas
by Xerxes Cook
by Olivier Zahm and Lily McMenamy
by Jeff Rian
by Olivier Zham
by Olivier Zahm
by Sven Schumann
by Francesco Bonami and Olivier Zahm
by Benjamin Alexander Huseby
by Katerina Jebb
by Camille Bidault Waddington
by Theo Wenner
by Roe Etheridge
by Chikashi Suzuki
by Mark Borthwick
by Carter Smith
by Karim Sadli
by Michael Hauptman
by Glenn O'Brien
by Katerina Jebb
by Dustin Dollin
by Gianni Oprandi
by Arto Saari