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Photography by Edward C. Robison III.

Martin's Cincuentañera

Gazing fiercely at the viewer from underneath a leather biker cap is Martin Sorrondeguy, also known as Martin Crudo, an icon of queer punk music. Blue waves cascade from his matching suspenders and waist, resembling the puffy skirts of dresses worn during quinceañeras, celebrations that mark a Latinx 15-year-old girl’s passage into womanhood. Here, Sorrondeguy celebrates a cincuentañera, a 50-year milestone that is significant for the LGBTQIA+ community due to sustained impacts of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, homophobia, and transphobia.

ArtistShizu Saldamando, born 1978
Date2018
MediumOil and mixed media on panel
Dimensions48 x 72 x 1 5/8 in. (121.9 x 182.9 x 4.1 cm)
Signedverso, u.r., in pencil: Shizu / Saldamando
Inscription(s)verso, u.r., in pencil: Martin's / Cincuentañera
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2020.81
ClassificationMixed Media
Provenance(Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles, CA); purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2020
On ViewNo
Martin's Cincuentañera48 × 72 in.Standard/Movie Poster40 × 27 in.

This artwork's face covers about 3.2× the area of a standard movie poster.Drawn to the same scale.