Andy Warhol at Studio 54's Going-Away-to-Prison Party

In 1980, Andy Warhol attended the Going-Away-to-Prison Party at Studio 54, a farewell event for owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, who were sentenced to three years for tax fraud. The club, opened in April 1977, had become a hub for New York's clubbing culture, blending disco, sexual minorities, drugs, and excess. Warhol, who celebrated his 50th birthday there in August 1978 with 800 one-dollar bills dumped on his head, was a key figure bridging the Factory and Studio 54 communities. At the party, Diana Ross and Liza Minnelli performed while Warhol stood on the balcony with a camera. The article, published in art press 2 n°24 (February-March-April 2012), reflects on Warhol as a mondain artist who constantly cited images, moving from photography to painting, from Studio 54 to the Factory. Roland Barthes' concept of the mondain as someone who cites and weaves what they cite is invoked.