03/31/2026
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Agosto Machado, an artist whose life and work were shaped by, and gave so much back to, New York’s q***r community.
Coming of age in the city in the 1960s, Machado self-identified as a “street queen.” During the height of the AIDS crisis, he cared for those in his inner circle while also serving as an unofficial archivist of a generation. The altars and shrines he created from collected materials stand as enduring expressions of gratitude - for love, for resilience, and for chosen family.
Machado’s work, currently on view in Whitney Biennial 2026, honors the lives and legacies of those he held close; today, we remember him as he wished to be remembered—timeless.
—
Image 1: Peter Hujar, Agosto Machado, 1980, gelatin silver print. © 2026 The Peter Hujar Archive / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Image 2: Agosto Machado, Ethyl (Altar), 2024. Jewelry, matchbooks, pins, and textile; plastic, metal, and ceramic objects; postcards, photographs, exhibition booklet, handmade feather butterfly, mask with glitter, coins, makeup compact; pearl, shell, glass, and plastic containers with additional ephemera; and original artworks by Peter Hujar, Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt, and U*i Parnes, 68 ×19 1/2 × 12 1/4 in. (172.7 × 49.5 × 31.1 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Painting and Sculpture Committee and the Photography Committee 2025.60a–xx. © Agosto Machado