Photographer Dustin Pittman’s new book New York After Dark is a VIP card to the golden age of New York nightlife.
“My book is all about love,” declares Dustin Pittman who poured through his massive archive of over 1000,000 photographs to put together the hefty tome New York After Dark, capturing every corner of the city in the 70s and 80s from Warhol’s silver Factory to chi-chi uptown galleries to the punk explosion at CBGG and the decadent VIP room at Studio 54. Pittman was there – a part of the scene – camera in hand. “That love for my community vibe, which I have been photographing for decades, is proof that love is the answer,” Pittman tells Avenue. “It sounds corny, but true.”
And we are in love with this book – a sexy, personal, time-tripping journey through the ateliers of Halston and Calvin Klein, the glitter of the glam rock underground (David Johansen of the New York Dolls wrote the intro, natch), the golden age of disco and more. The book is the latest release from brothers Roger and Mauricio Padhila who also authored books on illustrators Antonio López and Richard Bernstein as well as The Stephen Sprouse Book and Gloss: The Work of Chris von Wangenheim.
With iPhones snapping at every soirée all over the city, it’s refreshing to look at actual photographs taken with film. “The photographs that mean the most to me are the images that show my friends in real time in person – story telling conversations without distracting technology,” says Pittman. “This is becoming rarer every day. Hopefully, this will change someday.” – PETER DAVIS
Order Rizzoli’s New York After Dark HERE
