Basquiat, Warhol and Hockney shown in unseen downtown 1980s New York photographs in new exhibition

Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Hockney and Andy Warhol feature in never-before-seen photography of the downtown New York 1980s party scene.

The photographs are by Ben Buchanan, who captured the images whilst working as an in-house photographer for the nightclub AREA. They are going on display as part of an exhibition entitled History is a Nightclub: Downtown AREA, NYC, 1983-87 at Peter Harrington Gallery in Mayfair.

The club was renowned for its artistic themes and constant redecorations; photos include artists attending a painting-themed party, and Grace Jones posing with a lion for a natural history theme on her birthday.

The photos include Basquiat, whose work is currently on display at the Barbican, DJing at the club, and Keith Haring posing with a man whose body he has painted.

Buchanan said that when he came to the club looking for a job he didn’t know how to take photos. “I had turned up at AREA looking for a job and they gave me a camera I had no idea how to use and they told me to point it at anything interesting,” he said.

“It was the club that everyone wanted to get into - even the invitations to each theme were inventive and covetable, while the decorations were often brought in from movie sets.”

The exhibition runs from October 3-31 at Peter Harrington Gallery; peterharrington.co.uk