Laura Aguilar: Day of the Dead, on view at The Huntington from September 20, 2026, through March 1, 2027, presents photographs from a lesser-known series created during the 1980s and 1990s by the pioneering Los Angeles artist Laura Aguilar (1959–2018). The exhibition documents Día de los Muertos celebrations in homes and at public events throughout Los Angeles, drawing from The Huntington's acquisition of 21 photographs from the Laura Aguilar Trust—the largest collection of works from the series at a single institution. The show follows Laura Aguilar: Body and Landscape, which closed September 7 and traced Aguilar's groundbreaking use of self-portraiture in the natural environments of Southern California and the Southwest. Together, the exhibitions move from Aguilar's own body in the landscape to the people, traditions, and creative relationships that shaped her life and legacy.
From 1984 to 1992, Aguilar documented Día de los Muertos gatherings throughout the city that were organized by the community arts center Self Help Graphics & Art. She also participated in the Los Angeles Photography Center's annual Día de los Muertos event, which included shows with local Chicana/o/x artists. The exhibition features photographs taken by Aguilar at the center's 1989 celebration that depict many of the city's most renowned artistic figures, including Barbara Carrasco, Harry Gamboa JR, and Ricardo Valverde. Many of these portraits show individuals or groups posed inside a prop coffin that Aguilar had constructed with a Mexican mural backdrop; the setup resembles a photo booth. Aguilar also staged Día de los Muertos scenes inside homes. In At Home with the Nortes, a family of four, all wearing calavera makeup, watches cartoons together. The parents—artist Armando Norte and Consuelo Flores, who is known for her Día de los Muertos altars—sit with their two sons, Alain and Gian.
An ofrenda 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 elements of the ofrenda relate to Aguilar's connections to the land, community, family, and photography. Land, a recurring subject in Aguilar's photographs, is represented by sand, rocks, and branches—beautiful and meaningful elements she often used when composing her nudes in nature. Handmade paper flowers surrounding the altar were created by altaristas Ofelia Esparza and her daughter Rosanna Esparza Ahrens as visual blessings to Aguilar. Tradition holds that the flowers guide departed loved ones back to their earthly homes. A photograph of Aguilar that Henry Gamboa Jr. took during their last encounter is placed above the altar. The ofrenda also incorporates other objects that belonged to Aguilar, including her Mamiya 645 film camera and her wrought-iron cross, signifying her ancestors buried at the San Gabriel Mission.
The Huntington is a major repository for Laura Aguilar's work, with over 100 photographs by the artist among its holdings. Aguilar, a Chicana and queer artist, explored intersections of identity and place in the American West, often using her own body as subject. Raised in the San Gabriel Valley, she created introspective works during the 1980s through the early 2000s that reflect her Chicana, queer identity and the experiences of her friends in the LGBTQ and Latino communities. The exhibition is part of The Huntington's THIS LAND IS … initiative, a multidisciplinary exploration of the relationships among land, United States history, and American identities. It is also part of Borderlands in the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art. The Huntington is located at 1151 Oxford Road in San Marino, open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, closed Tuesdays. Admission is $25 for adults, $18 for students and seniors, with free entry for members and children under 4.
Image: 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.
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