Laura Aguilar: Day of the Dead

Name: Laura Aguilar: Day of the Dead | The Huntington
Start: Sun, Sep 20 2026 - Mon, Mar 1 2027
Location: The Huntington

Exhibitions

Drawn from recent acquisitions from Laura Aguilar’s estate, “Laura Aguilar: Day of the Dead” presents photographs made from 1984 to 1992 documenting Día de los Muertos celebrations in Los Angeles.

Raised in the San Gabriel Valley, Laura Aguilar created a range of distinctive photographs during the 1980s through the early 2000s that reflect her Chicana, queer identity and the experiences of her friends in the LGBTQ communities.

Ranging from public celebrations to staged Día de los Muertos scenes inside homes, the photographs in Aguilar’s Day of the Dead series embrace Mexican American culture and reveal a connected artistic community in Los Angeles.

An ofrenda (altar) dedicated to Aguilar anchors the exhibition. Designed by Sybil Venegas and Christopher Velasco, co-trustees of the Laura Aguilar estate, the installation reflects an integral Día de los Muertos tradition of honoring ancestors. The ofrenda’s elements relate to Aguilar’s connections to the land, community, family, and photography.

a family of four with skull face paintings sit on a sofa watching television

two women pose together with painted sugar skull faces

a father and son, both in costume, pose in front of a coffin

a man in costume holding a camera poses infront of a coffin

Portrait of a man with skull face paint and a large skeleton earring

Laura Aguilar, At Home with the Nortes, 1990. Gelatin silver print, 15 7/8 × 19 13/16 in. Gift of the Laura Aguilar Trust of 2016. © The Laura Aguilar Trust of 2016. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Laura Aguilar, “Family Part A” (Yolanda Mora and Isabel Aguirre), 1990. Gelatin silver print, 13 15/16 × 10 7/8 in. Purchased with funds from The Ahmanson Foundation. © The Laura Aguilar Trust of 2016. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Laura Aguilar, Harry Gamboa Jr. and Barbara Carrasco, 1989. Gelatin silver print, 14 × 10 15/16 in. Purchased with funds from The Ahmanson Foundation. © The Laura Aguilar Trust of 2016. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Laura Aguilar, Harry Gamboa Jr. and his son Diego, 1989. Gelatin silver print, 14 × 10 15/16 in. Purchased with funds from The Ahmanson Foundation. © The Laura Aguilar Trust of 2016. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Laura Aguilar, Ricardo Valverde (Fig Leaf Too), 1989. Gelatin silver print, 14 × 10 15/16 in. Purchased with funds from The Ahmanson Foundation. © The Laura Aguilar Trust of 2016. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Laura Aguilar, Armando, 1984. Gelatin silver print, 14 × 10 15/16 in. Purchased with funds from The Ahmanson Foundation. © The Laura Aguilar Trust of 2016. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.