Hugh Auchincloss Steers

Hugh Auchincloss Steers (June 12, 1962 – March 1, 1995) was an American painter who often depicted the intimate lives of members of the LGBTQ+ community and their struggles during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s–1990s. He died of AIDS related complications at the age of 32.

Early life Steers was born on June 12, 1962, to Nina Gore Auchincloss and Newton Steers. He had one older brother, Ivan Steers, and a younger brother, Burr Steers, who would become a filmmaker. He attended the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut and graduated Cum Laude from Yale University, being trained in art, specifically painting, in 1985. He later attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine, graduating in 1991.

Steers was the grandson of Hugh D. Auchincloss and Nina Gore and the great-grandson of Thomas Gore. His mother was the half-sister of writer Gore Vidal and a stepsister of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. In 1974, his parents divorced and later that same year, his mother married her second husband, Michael Straight. The wedding was attended by Hugh D. Auchincloss, Janet Auchincloss, Jackie Kennedy, Renata Adler, Beatrice Straight, and Peter Cookson.

Personal life Despite often being viewed by outsiders as quiet, during his adulthood, Steers was involved in the New York City club scene. Spending time with his friends and fellow artists at clubs like Studio 54.

At the age of 25, Steers was diagnosed with HIV. He was involved with the ACT UP movement as well as several other organizations involved with LGBTQ+ rights. ) Art Basel Miami Beach (2012) Hugh Steers, Whitney Museum of American Art (2013) Art AIDS America, Tacoma Art Museum (2015) Hugh Steers' Day Light Alexander Gray Associates (2015) Hugh Steers' Strange State of Being Alexander Gray Associates (2021)