Items Under $5, Diego Cortez, Bloody Handkerchief, 3 Mercer St. Store, C. 1975
Sold
Cortez’s handkerchief originated as a prop for his magic trick performance at the Kitchen where he pulled a “bloody handkerchief out of thin air.” Cortez would soon become a downtown force as a founder of the Mudd Club, curator of New York New Wave at PS1, and early promoter of the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Diego helped Jean Dupuy organize the 1974 Soup & Tart performances as well as performing in the series; I remember two, both startling, with Nam June precision—one where he pulled out a clean white handkerchief, crumpling it in his hand and pulling it back out with a blood red spot on it, and a second where he stood still as blood slowly appeared on his lips.” —Coleen Fitzgibbon, A Tribute to Diego Cortez, Brooklynrail.org, September 2021
Size: 16 x 14 inches.
Unfolded
Folded
