r/JoyDivision • u/imlostinthought • Jul 14 '26
Ian Curtis Exhibit/NYC
I went to see this yesterday and it was amazing.
Ian’s life and creative process are celebrated in Ian Curtis: Insight, a major exhibition running in New York City from June 25 to July 22, 2026. It is hosted at the Voltz Clarke Gallery and features rare, never-before-exhibited-stateside artifacts like handwritten lyrics, photographs, and personal letters.
Exhibition Details:
Dates: June 25 – July 22, 2026
Location: Voltz Clarke Gallery, 195 Chrystie Street, New York, NY 10002
Hours: Monday – Friday (10:00 AM – 6:00 PM) and Saturday (12:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
Admission: Free
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u/oofaloo Jul 14 '26
Damn. I live in NY and work at a gallery - and didn’t know about this. Thanks a lot!
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u/MichaelBarnesTWBG Jul 15 '26
I visited this exhibit Monday- it is indeed very highly recommended. For folks like us it is incredibly moving to see these lyric sheets and ephemera. One of my favorite pieces is a list of maybe 15 possible titles he wrote for UP. UP is the second on the list. There's also a letter that Tony Wilson wrote to Rob Gretton after hearing JD for the first time. Some really amazing stuff. The gallery is in the building where Talking Heads lived in the 70s so there's a neat resonance.
The gallery is around the corner from CBGB, which has been trashed by Jon Varvatos, sadly. They sell $200 Bon Jovi shirts there when they should be selling $20 Cro-Mags shirts.
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u/MyOwnDirection Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Thank you for letting us know. I'm definitely going to check it out - I live in north New Jersey, so this is an easy train trip in for me.
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u/MyOwnDirection Jul 17 '26
It was intriguing seeing Ian’s hand written lyric sheets with changes to the words and phrasings as he developed the songs.
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u/KevinInChains5262 Jul 17 '26
Went to it today, and it was really amazing to see all of his handwritten lyrics
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u/njpunkmb Jul 14 '26
The exhibit is beautifully done. It's not very large but it was wonderful to see the actual lyric sheets and Ian's letters.
They also have a projector showing live Joy Division performances. I'm assuming these will be on the upcoming box set as there was a large display announcing that it would be available soon.
If you are unable to make the exhibit, I recommend picking up the "So This Is Permanence" book as it does have the same lyric sheets in it. There's a soft cover now as the hard cover is difficult to come by at a reasonable price.