Barbican

Into the Night

Cabarets & Clubs in Modern Art

04 Oct 2019 - 19 Jan 2020

Into the Night: Cabarets and Clubs in Modern Art, Barbican Art Gallery. Getty Images, photo by Tristan Fewings
INTO THE NIGHT
Cabarets & Clubs in Modern Art
4 October 2019 - 19 January 2020

A journey into the world’s most iconic cabarets, cafés and clubs in modern art through the lens of pioneering artists.

Explore the history of cabarets, cafés and clubs in modern art across the world, from London to Paris, Mexico City, Tehran, and Ibadan. See works of art, many rarely seen in the UK, as well as life-size recreations of avant-garde spaces.

Every Thursday to Saturday night, the gallery’s recreated spaces come to life: the iconic 1920s club L’Aubette hosts live jazz music and classic cocktails are served in Vienna’s jewel-like Cabaret Fledermaus bar.

Spanning the 1880s to the 1960s, Into the Night celebrates the creative spaces where artists congregated to push the boundaries of artistic expression. The exhibition offers insight into the heady atmosphere of Berlin clubs in Weimar Germany; the energy of Harlem’s jazz scene; the vibrant context of the Mbari clubs in 1960s Nigeria; and many more.

The exhibition is curated and organised by Barbican Centre, London in collaboration with the Belvedere, Vienna.

This exhibition is also made possible through support from the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany London, the Austrian Cultural Forum London, the Embassy of Mexico to the United Kingdom & AMEXCID, and a Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Research Grant from the Art Fund.