Masks

Louis Fulgoni started creating masks in the late 1970s and continued for the rest of his life. Usually working quickly and spontaneously, he made the painted constructions with everyday materials such as carboard, toothpicks and cheesecloth. While many of the masks are whimsical, others reflect the anxiety and dread of the AIDS crisis in New York during the 1980s.

Untitled, painted cardboard, mid-1980s. • One of the series of masks that Louis constructed in his final decade.
“Alexander,” painted carboard and cork, mid-1980s. • This mask is a portrait of Alexander, a cat Siamese that he and Michael McKee had. Alexander was born in 1972 and died in July 1987, two weeks before Louis was diagnosed with HIV.
Untitled, painted cardboard, toothpicks, aluminum foil and glitter, mid-1980s. • One of the series of masks that Louis constructed in his final decade.
Untitled, painted cardboard, early 1980s. • Some of the mask-like constructions Louis created were not strictly masks. This two-faced piece is unique in that none of his other constructions were free-standing.
“Tammy Faye,” painted carboard, cheesecloth and toothpicks, c. 1988. • This mask depicts Tammy Faye Bakker, wife of disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker.
Untitled, painted cardboard and toothpicks, mid-1980s. • One of the series of masks that Louis constructed in his final decade.
“Trump,” painted carboard, silver paint, cheesecloth and toothpicks, 1988. • One of the series of masks that Louis constructed in his final decade, this one depicts then-developer and right-wing gadfly Donald J. Trump.
Untitled, painted cardboard and cheesecloth, mid-1980s. • This mask is among several conveying a sense of anxiety that prevailed during the AIDS crisis in 1980s New York.
Untitled, painted cardboard and toothpicks, mid-1980s. • One of the series of masks that Louis constructed in his final decade.
Untitled, painted cardboard and cheesecloth, mid-1980s. • This mask is among several conveying a sense of anxiety that prevailed during the AIDS crisis in 1980s New York.
Untitled, painted cardboard and cheesecloth, mid-1980s. • One of the series of masks that Louis constructed in his final decade. This piece, which carries echoes of a Japanese Noh mask, is perhaps the most serene one in the series.
Untitled, painted cardboard and cheesecloth, mid-1980s. • This mask is among several conveying a sense of anxiety that prevailed during the AIDS crisis in 1980s New York.
Portrait of Michael, painted cardboard, c. 1980. • Some of the first mask-like constructions Louis created were what he called “personality hats,” which reflected their wearers. This piece is worn by Louis’s lover and life partner, Michael McKee.
“Susan,” painted cardboard, 1987. • One of the series of masks that Louis constructed in his final decade, this is a portrait of Susan Daniel, a UK-based friend and museum curator who stayed with him and Michael McKee on a visit to New York.
Untitled, painted cardboard, c. 1980. • Some of the first mask-like constructions Louis created were what he called “personality hats,” like this one, for friends to wear at the annual Halloween parade through Greenwich Village.
Untitled, painted cardboard and toothpicks, c. 1980. • Some of the first mask-like constructions Louis created were what he called “personality hats,” like this one, for friends to wear at the annual Halloween parade through Greenwich Village.