From the Exhibition: 40 Top Art Events of the Downtown Era: A Timeline, 1974–1992

Gracie Mansion Gallery, Video Screening At Private Eyes, Folded Card, 1987

Offset print, 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ (folded). Image by Rodney Greenblatt.

$90

Gracie Mansion (a.k.a. Joanne Mayhew Young) started showing art in her apartment bathroom before opening an East Village gallery, in 1982, with a focus on low-priced works. As video production became increasingly affordable, independent directors began to document the booming East Village art scene. At the same time, artists and gallerists were forging connections with nightclub promoters. Karen Mandelbaum’s “showcase” featured several of the artists represented by Gracie Mansion, including David Wojnarowicz and Marilyn Minter. The screening was hosted by two nightclubbing gallerists—Stacie Teele of Kamikaze and Steven Style of Sensory Evolution—at Private Eyes, an “all-video club” outfitted with 34 screens (and where Madonna was a returning patron).

Front

Interior

Reverse

NEXT ITEM

DOWNTOWN ERA EXHIBITION HOMEPAGE

From the Exhibition: 40 Top Art Events of the Downtown Era: A Timeline, 1974–1992