French photographer François Prost has published a book documenting the facades of nearly 150 American strip clubs, photographed during a five-week road trip in 2019 that covered more than 6,000 miles from Miami to Los Angeles. The book, titled 'Gentlemen's Club' and published by Fisheye Editions, contains no images of performers or interiors — only the buildings' exteriors.
French photographer documents US strip club facades in new book 'Gentlemen's Club'
French photographer François Prost has published a book documenting the facades of nearly 150 American strip clubs, photographed during a five-week road trip in 2019 that covered more than 6,000 miles from Miami to Los Angeles. The book, titled 'Gentlemen's Club' and published by Fisheye Editions, contains no images of performers or interiors — only the buildings' exteriors.
Prost said he divided the venues into two broad categories: those highly visible and integrated into public commercial landscapes — appearing near amusement parks, fast food outlets, and malls — and those more discreet establishments that, he said, could be mistaken for ordinary strip-mall stores. He said he found many of the latter type along the Bible Belt, which he describes in the book as a region defined by 'conservatism and extreme puritanism.'
The project grew out of Prost's 2018 series 'After Party,' which focused on the facades of French nightclubs. He said commenters frequently noted those buildings looked as though they belonged in American cities, prompting him to extend the concept to the United States. He said he was struck, during planning, by both the volume of strip clubs in America and their visual assertiveness compared with European equivalents — citing hot pink walls, large nude silhouettes, and candy-cane-striped storefronts.
Prost visited establishments during the day and, when they were open, sought permission before photographing. He said 99 percent of people agreed to facade photographs, provided he did not photograph patrons or dancers. Some managers, he said, gave him business cards and asked to be sent the finished images.
Among the details Prost said surprised him was the degree to which Las Vegas strip clubs functioned simultaneously as restaurants, advertising happy hour deals, buffets, and discounts for truck drivers and construction workers. He also said he was told that some Portland establishments offered vegan food. He described the apparent normalization of strip clubs in American social life as the project's biggest surprise, noting in the book that Americans appeared to visit them as couples or groups for casual entertainment.
'Gentlemen's Club' is scheduled to be exhibited at Agnes b. Galerie Boutique in Tokyo, Japan, between March 17 and April 15, 2023. Prost said his next project will document Japan's love hotels.
- The source does not state the book's publication date beyond describing it as 'available now.'
- The source does not provide the retail price of 'Gentlemen's Club.'
- The source does not include responses or perspectives from strip club owners, workers, or patrons.
- The source does not state whether any clubs refused facade photography or what proportion declined.
- The source does not describe the full route of Prost's road trip beyond the Miami-to-Los-Angeles framing.
- The source text supplied appears truncated; some material may be missing.