Capturing “The Deuce”: Times Square in the 1970s & ’80s

Although virtually undetectable today, Times Square in the 1970s and ‘80s was the center of the New York sex industry, synonymous with prostitution and pornography. Most recently, the hit HBO series The Deuce, starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, has resurrected the neighborhood’s dark corners and bright lights as it recounts the pioneering moments of the city’s burgeoning sex business. Looking back, artist Jane Dickson was there. Beginning in 1978, Dickson lived, worked, and raised a family on 43rd Street and Eighth Avenue, documenting her chosen “neighborhood” and its denizens in her drawings, paintings, and photography. Join Dickson and Scott Dougan, production designer for The Deuce, for a conversation about what it means to capture the essence of a particularly infamous time and place in the city – and why we find these visions of New York’s gritty and not-so-distant past so alluring today. Moderated by Vinson Cunningham of The New Yorker.











When: Tue., Jan. 29, 2019 at 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Where: Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Ave.
212-534-1672
Price: $15 & up; $10 for Museum Members
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Although virtually undetectable today, Times Square in the 1970s and ‘80s was the center of the New York sex industry, synonymous with prostitution and pornography. Most recently, the hit HBO series The Deuce, starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, has resurrected the neighborhood’s dark corners and bright lights as it recounts the pioneering moments of the city’s burgeoning sex business. Looking back, artist Jane Dickson was there. Beginning in 1978, Dickson lived, worked, and raised a family on 43rd Street and Eighth Avenue, documenting her chosen “neighborhood” and its denizens in her drawings, paintings, and photography. Join Dickson and Scott Dougan, production designer for The Deuce, for a conversation about what it means to capture the essence of a particularly infamous time and place in the city – and why we find these visions of New York’s gritty and not-so-distant past so alluring today. Moderated by Vinson Cunningham of The New Yorker.

Buy tickets/get more info now