Tomorrow begins the massive sell-off of the estate of Steve Rubell, the late co-owner of NYC's Studio 54, the '70s nightclub that "made Halloween in Hollywood look like a PTA meeting," according to actress Lorna Luft, and served as "the beating heart of the city's disco scene," according to the New York Times, which dubbed Rubell a "master promoter" and one of the "first pashas of disco" in his 1989 obituary. Up for auction are scads of one-of-a-kind pieces, from furniture to home accessories, fine art, photographs, and ephemera, ranging from crisp midcentury classics to the effusive chrome designs of the 1980s. Included: Andy Warhol Polaroids, paintings, and sculpture; Gio Ponti dining chairs, lounge chairs, and cocktail tables; circa-1970 furnishings by Paul Evans; a mirror by Salvador Dali; Philippe Starck light fixtures and stools (the ones from Star Wars); and many more design prizes, not to mention photographs of "merrymakers like Diana Ross, Frank Sinatra, Truman Capote, and Liza Minnelli," according to the Times.
It's safe to say that not everybody will be able to fly down to West Palm Beach—though technically one can bid by phone or online, too—to snatch up every bit of nostalgia, but it's fun to pretend. Above, find a plain-jane room bedecked only in items from the Rubell auction. Below: a list of everything inside, and—because there's just so much in tomorrow's auction—a whole other room dressed up like a grown-up disco queen.
? Find: Milo Baughman sectional sofa and tables; Armand Jonker illuminated table; Robert Goodnough "K-M" abstract painting; Tommi Parzinger sconces; Curtis Jere porthole mirror; Curtis Jere tree sculpture; Barovier & Toso "Patchwork" vase; Murano lamps. Back room: Paul Evans burl wood cabinet; Mazzega table lamps; Pietro Chiesa sconces; images of Minnelli, Cher, Capote, and others; Studio 54 poster.
? Find: Paul Evans "Cityscape" cabinet; Milo Baughman lounge chair; Paul Evans "Cityscape" cocktail table; large James Valone "Stormy Coast" abstract painting; Gunther Forg lithographs; Angelo Mangiarotti "spirale" lights; Anzolo Fuga vases; Andy Warhol lithograph, poster, and silk screen; Roy Lichtenstein "Art About Art" silk screen.
· Steve Rubell - Studio 54 Memorabilia, 1970s & Important Modern [Palm Beach Modern Auctions]
· Selling Some Old Sparkle From Nights at Studio 54 [NYT]
· Steve Rubell, Studio 54's Creator And a 'Pasha of Disco,' Dies at 45 [NYT, from 1989]
· Revamping an Ultra Lame Condo for the King of Youtube [Curbed National]
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