James Allan Curtis (September 30, 1946 – June 21, 2021),[1] known professionally as Diego Cortez, was an American filmmaker and art curator closely associated with the no wave period in New York City.

Cortez was the co-founder of the Mudd Club, and he curated the influential post-punk art show New York/New Wave, which brought the then aspiring artist Jean-Michel Basquiat to fame.

[2] Curtis adopted the pseudonym Diego Cortez in 1973 while moving to New York City as a tribute to the Hispanic neighborhood of Chicago where he had lived.

[3][4] In 1978, he co-founded the Mudd Club, a nightclub in the Tribeca neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, with Steve Maas and punk artist and music manager Anya Phillips.

During this period, he also performed with artists Kathy Acker and Laurie Anderson, directed music videos for rock bands Talking Heads and Blondie, and organized showings of works by the singer and songwriter Patti Smith.

It was a massive exhibition featuring over 100 artists including Andy Warhol, David Byrne, William S. Burroughs, Robert Mapplethorpe, Nan Goldin, Keith Haring, Fab Five Freddy, Futura 2000, and Ann Magnuson.