Elegantly Wasted

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Paul Morrissey, Andy Warhol, Janis Joplin
and Tim Buckley at Max's Kansas City, 1968.
Photo by Elliott Landy.

Images above and below are from the newly published Max's Kansas City: Art, Glamour, Rock and Roll. This nostalgia dip features photographs taken over a period of approximately 15 years at New York's legendary gathering spot, along with related artifacts and essays by Lou Reed, Lenny Kaye, and others.

Unidentified revelers, ca. 1971.
Photo by Anton Perich.

John Chamberlain and Andrew Wylie, 1971.
Photo by Anton Perich.

A 1969 bar tab belonging to Andy Warhol,
with a credit of $200 for a Marilyn.
Bound to happen in a place that opens its doors with a
Donald Judd over the bar and Dan Flavin lighting the back room.

The book, published by Abrams Image in conjunction with a show opening tonight at Steven Kasher Gallery in NYC, is part of a celebration of sorts of the club that was a home away from home for a generation of artists and musicians in New York between 1965 and 1981, when Max's closed for good.

Larry Poons, 1974.

David Johansen, Dee Dee Ramone, and Alan Vega
(foreground), 1974. Photo by Anton Perich.

Untitled drawing by Willem De Kooning.

In addition to Steven Kasher, Loretta Howard Gallery unveils an exhibition tonight devoted to the artists who frequented Max's from the mid-60s to mid-70s (Willem De Kooning, John Chamberlain, James Rosenquist, Larry Rivers, Larry Poons, Robert Rauschenberg, Joseph Kosuth, Robert Smithson, Lynda Benglis, Alice Aycock, and many others). Wish I were (and had been) there – but the book looks to be a pretty enjoyable consolation prize.


The book can be previewed and purchased directly through Abrams. Find an article and slide show about Max's at nytimes.com and more info about the exhibitions at Steven Kasher and Loretta Howard.