Patrick Hughes was born in Birmingham, England, in October 1939. He is a self taught artist who plays with perspective, optical illusions and figure-ground relationships. Building upon the work of M.C. Escher, Rene Magritte and Richard Artschwager, Hughes' paintings form a bridge between painting which is static and two-dimensional, and sculpture which is not.
Hughes held his first exhibition in 1961 and went on to develop his distinct perspective studies in the early years of his career. In calling the main body of his work, “Reverspective,” Hughes aims to warp our perceptions by constructing solid space through the use of sculpted painting.
Hughes builds his sculptured paintings using board which is taped together, gessoed and sanded until it is a pristine wall relief which mimics the shape of space. He then goes on to compose images of rectilinear forms such as buildings, books, doorways, boxes and gallery walls. The resultant painted reliefs baffle his audience by demonstrating how deceptive appearances can be. His Surrealist horizons imply deep space while the surface of the painting appears flat. Yet upon walking toward these seemingly flat paintings, they loom out at us, creating a disorientating, moving experience. Hughes challenges the assumptions of our eye and our brain, raising important questions about human perception and the subconscious.
Soon after his first appearance on the London art scene Hughes began exhibiting with Angela Flowers Gallery and continued to do so for over 40 years. In addition, he has taken part in many solo and group exhibitions across the UK and in America. As well as painting, he has also written and collated three books on visual and verbal rhetoric.
Find original Patrick Hughes paintings and other art on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Alon Zakaim Fine Art)
Warholed by Patrick Hughes
By Patrick Hughes
Located in New Orleans, LA
Patrick Hughes b. 1939 British Warholed Signed “Warholed / Patrick Hughes” (en verso) Oil on panel Almost defying definition and description, the artwork of London artist Patrick...
Oil, Panel
1970 British oil on floating panel work by Patrick Hughes, pink on white
By Patrick Hughes
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Patrick Hughes (British, b.1939) Assemblage, c. 1970 Oil on floating panel Unsigned 35.7/8 x 47.7/8 in. (90.8 x 121.3 cm.) Patrick Hughes is a British artist known as the creator of...
Oil, Board
$26,064
Patrick Hughes - Hanging on a hook, rainbow, gloss, moon, contemporary, painting
By Patrick Hughes
Located in London, GB
Patrick Hughes (b.1939) Hanging on a Hook 1978 gloss paint on board 91 x 91 cm Price: £19,000 GBP Provenance: Private collection, UK (acquired directly from the artist in the late ...
Paint, Board
$14,000
H 36 in W 48 in D 2 in
1994 "Dreamer's Forest" Abstract Painting on Panel William Shields
By William Shields 2
Located in Arp, TX
William Stephens Shields, Jr., 1925 - 2010 "Dreamer's Forest" 1994 Oil on panel 48"x36" artist framed Signed lower right William Stephens Shields, Jr., 1925 - 2010 He was born in san Francisco, in 1931, Bill moved to Texas, where he grew up. Moved to New York in 1940 and later joined the Naval Air Corps at the age of 18. He served as an Aviation Cadet in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1945. At the end of WWII, Bill returned to Texas. At 21, Bill re-focused his energy and enrolled in the Chicago Academy of Fine Art as an Illustration major. What followed was a whirlwind of success, great friendships and a sense of belonging he had never before experienced. Art was his calling and the art-world could not have been less prepared for the likes of Bill Shields. He took them by storm, first Houston, then San Francisco, followed by New York in the late 60's. For 35 years, Bill produced some of the country's best illustrations: fresh, playful, loose and innovative. His illustrations were coveted by such clients as Bantam Books, Time Life, MacMillan Publishing Co., and were awarded numerous gold medals by the Societies of Illustrators in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and the Houston Artists Guild. Later, following inspirational trips to Mexico and France, Bill shifted his attention to the self-directed world of fine art. After years of sculpting, making assemblages, painting nudes and landscapes, he settled on the exploration of large abstract oil paintings. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries in San Francisco, Connecticut and New York. CV EDUCATION: Chicago Academy Of Fine Art San Antonio Art Institute MAJOR FIELDS OF PROFESSIONAL ENDEAVOR: Freelance graphic design and illustration Instructor of painting and illustration Landscape, figurative and abstract painting ART RELATED EMPLOYMENT: (Professor of Art) California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, CA Academy of Art College, San Francisco, CA San Francisco Art Institute San Jose State University AWARDS FOR ILLUSTRATION, Gold Medals: New York Society of Illustrators Los Angeles Society of Illustrators San Francisco Society of Illustrators Dallas-Fort Worth Art Director's Club Houston Artist's Guild BIBLIOGRAPHY: Feature articles in: American Artist, Communication Arts, Print, North Light. Architectural design featured in: Better Homes and Gardens, American Home, Sunset Magazine, Architectural Digest. ILLUSTRATION CLIENTS: Oil Companies: Champlin Oil Company, Mobil Oil Company, Continental Oil Company, Standard Oil Company, Humble Oil and Refining Company. Industrial: Hughes Tool Company, General Electric, United States Steel, Phelps Dodge, Sylvania Television, Texas Gulf Sulphur, Litton Industries, Houston Lighting and Power Company...
Oil, Panel
$975
H 7 in W 7.5 in D 2 in
Margins Of Matter, Abstract Mixed-Media Sculpture Wall Mounted, 7.5 x 7 x 2 in.
By Lisa Pressman
Located in New York, NY
SIGNED ON BACK. Lisa Pressman’s Shape of Memory series transforms cardboard, thread, smoke, and Letraset into evocative wall-mounted works that recall ancient relics or worn book covers. Each shaped panel floats about an inch off the wall, often casting glowing, colored shadows from painted backs that shift with the light. Stitched seams and weathered surfaces suggest scars, resilience, and the passage of time, resonating as personal artifacts of memory and healing. Known for her abstract paintings in oil, encaustic, and mixed media, Pressman’s oeuvre consistently explores impermanence and transformation. With their sculptural presence and luminous effects, these intimate objects blur painting...
Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Cardboard
$1,000
H 16 in W 21 in
Mid-Century Modern American Oil Painting Abstract Female artist black and white
By Anita Johnson
Located in Buffalo, NY
Anita Johnson Untitled (Monochrome Construct), c. 1960s Oil on illustration board Framed dimensions: 21 in. H × 16 in. W Presented in a contemporary black frame In this striking bla...
Oil, Illustration Board
$2,450
H 29.5 in W 23.75 in D 2 in
1950s Original Geometric Abstract Oil Painting by Paul K Smith, Mid Century Art
By Paul Kauvar Smith
Located in Denver, CO
This vibrant and dynamic abstract oil painting by American modernist Paul Kauvar Smith (1893–1977) exemplifies his bold use of color and modernist technique. Executed on board, the c...
Oil, Board
$25,000
H 40.5 in W 34.5 in D 2.75 in
"New Birds" Multicolored Birds with White Background Oil Painting on Wood Framed
By Hunt Slonem
Located in New York, NY
A wonderful composition of one of Slonem's most iconic subjects of birds. The thick use of paint is greatly recognizable as he slathers on layer after layer of oil paint with multico...
Oil, Wood Panel
$12,250
H 18.5 in W 15.5 in D 1 in
"Green Hutch" Four Bunnies on Pale Mint Background Oil Painting on Wood Framed
By Hunt Slonem
Located in New York, NY
A wonderful composition of one of Slonem's most iconic subjects, Bunnies. This piece depicts 4 gestural figures of black bunnies on a bring orange background with thick use of paint....
Oil, Wood Panel
$3,600
H 28 in W 21.5 in D 2 in
Untitled Abstract Geometric Painting, Oil on Paper, Framed, 1960s
By Ron Stonier
Located in Vancouver, CA
Ron Stonier (1933-2001) was a dedicated Vancouver artist celebrated for his exploration of abstract painting, influenced by his mentors Gordon Smith and Jack Shadbolt, as well as by ...
Paper, Oil, Board
Agora Project No. 7
By Javier Arizmendi-Kalb
Located in Burlingame, CA
Mexican-American contemporary visual artist and celebrated architect Javier Arizmendi-Kalb created this abstract painting with bold brush stokes creat...
Oil, Panel
$3,700
H 30 in W 30 in D 1.5 in
Mnemonic Rhythm (Bright, Multicolored Textile Inspired Abstract Wall Sculpture)
By Susan Stover
Located in Hudson, NY
Mnemonic Rhythm (Bright, Multicolored Textile Inspired Abstract Wall Sculpture), made by Susan Stover in 2025 wood, oil paint, varnish, waxed linen thread 30 x 30 inches Lightweight,...
Thread, Wood, Oil, Acrylic, Cardboard
$5,900
H 40 in W 60 in D 1.88 in
"Red Theory" Contemporary Colorful Blue, Red, Green, & Yellow Geometric Abstract
By Tina Ruyi
Located in Houston, TX
Colorful abstract geometric painting by contemporary artist Tina Ruyi. The work features blue, red, green, and yellow stripes woven between light blue blocks of color. Signed and dat...
Acrylic, Board
$1,500
H 24 in W 31.38 in D 0.25 in
Impasto Geometric Abstraction - Mixed Media in Encaustic and Oil Paint, Signed
Located in Soquel, CA
Impasto Geometric Abstraction - Mixed Media in Encaustic and Oil Paint, Signed Bold mixed media piece signed by Pat Ellis. This piece combines elements of geometric abstraction and ...
Fiberboard, Oil, Encaustic, Wax Crayon
$28,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 15 in W 18 in
"Harvard vs Yale" Charles Green Shaw, Football, Ivy League Sports, Abstract
By Charles Green Shaw
Located in New York, NY
Charles Green Shaw Harvard vs. Yale, 1944 Signed and dated on the reverse Oil on canvasboard 9 x 12 inches Provenance: Harvey and Francois Rambach, New Jersey Private Collection, California Washburn Gallery, New York D. Wigmore Fine Art, New York Private Collection, New York Charles Green Shaw, born into a wealthy New York family, began painting when he was in his mid-thirties. A 1914 graduate of Yale, Shaw also completed a year of architectural studies at Columbia University. During the 1920s Shaw enjoyed a successful career as a freelance writer for The New Yorker, Smart Set and Vanity Fair, chronicling the life of the theater and café society. In addition to penning insightful articles, Shaw was a poet, novelist and journalist. In 1927 he began to take a serious interest in art and attended Thomas Hart Benton's class at the Art Students League briefly in New York. He also studied privately with George Luks, who became a good friend. Once he had dedicated himself to non-traditional painting, Shaw's writing ability made him a potent defender of abstract art. After initial study with Benton and Luks, Shaw continued his artistic education in Paris by visiting numerous museums and galleries. From 1930 to 1932 Shaw's paintings evolved from a style imitative of Cubism to one directly inspired by it, though simplified and more purely geometric. Returning to the United States in 1933, Shaw began a series of abstracted cityscapes of skyscrapers he called Manhattan Motifs which evolved into his most famous works, the shaped canvases he called Plastic Polygons. The 1930s were productive years for Shaw. He showed his paintings in numerous group exhibitions, both in New York and abroad, and was also given several one-man exhibitions. Shaw had his first one-man exhibition at the Valentine Dudensing Gallery in New York in 1934, which included 25 Manhattan Motif paintings and 8 abstract works. In the spring of 1935 Shaw was introduced to Albert Gallatin and George L.K. Morris. Gallatin was so impressed with Shaw's work, he broke a policy against solo exhibitions at his museum, the Gallery of Living Art, and offered Shaw an exhibition there. In the summer of 1935 Shaw traveled to Paris with Gallatin and Morris who provided introductions to many great painters. Shaw regularly spent time with John Ferren and Jean Hélion. The following year Gallatin organized an exhibition called Five Contemporary American Concretionists at the Reinhardt Gallery that included Shaw, Ferren, and Morris, Alexander Calder, and Charles Biederman...
Oil, Board
Dice And Dollars By Patrick Hughes
By Patrick Hughes
Located in New Orleans, LA
Patrick Hughes b. 1939 British Dice and Dollars Signed, dated "Dice and Dollars / Patrick Hughes / 2023" Oil on board construction Created by leading British contemporary artist Patrick Hughes, Dice and Dollars displays a three-dimensional interior scene reflecting on the vibrant culture of New Orleans. Part painting, part sculpture and part optical illusion, this work by the London-based artist immerses the viewer in a fragmented room with an open window, revealing one of the Crescent City's most iconic homes. Hughes' experimentations with perspective and perception involve the viewer in a highly tangible way that is rarely seen in fine art. Driven by ideas of originality and engagement, Hughes is among the leading figures in contemporary British art. In Dice and Dollars , Hughes draws inspiration from one of America’s most alluring cities. In this composition of the Louisiana city known for the birth of jazz, the music of New Orleans takes center stage with a poster of Louis Armstrong on the left wall and a rendition of Fernando Botero’s famous painting, La Cantante to the right. The singing woman is framed by an upper-room view of the familiar orange and fern-clad LaBranche building on Royal...
Oil, Board
Love, Love, Love By Patrick Hughes
By Patrick Hughes
Located in New Orleans, LA
Patrick Hughes b. 1939 British Love, Love, Love Signed, dated "Love, Love, Love / Patrick Hughes / 2020" Oil on board construction A testament to the artist’s knowledge of contemporary art, Love, Love, Love displays a three-dimensional, illusionistic scene for which Patrick Hughes’s oeuvre has become renowned. Part painting, part sculpture and part optical illusion, this work by the London-based artist invites the viewer to examine Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE sculpture as it is unboxed from a crate. The three-dimensional construction breaks free from the wall and appears to shift as the viewer moves in front of it. The artist’s experimentations with perspective and perception involve the viewer in a highly tangible way that is rarely seen in fine art. Driven by ideas of engagement, originality and humor, Hughes is one of the leading figures in contemporary British art. Placed in a somewhat surreal setting, Love, Love, Love depicts the monumental red, blue and green sculpture on a patch of green grass. The wooden crate which encases the famed sculpture stands stark against the vivid blue sky and billowing clouds. Hughes generates an illusionistic perspective in this construction that immerses the viewer in a dreamlike environment, where this trademark of Philadelphia’s Center City is placed in a new environment outside of time and place. In an interview, Hughes commented on the piece: “I enjoy borrowing recognizable imagery from artists such as Robert Indiana’s LOVE [...] and inserting it into my reverspectives. I see this as a satirical venture, that enhances audience engagement through their sighting of recognizable images and symbols in my works.” For Hughes to feel his art is complete, it needs the physical presence of the spectator, engaging the body as well as the eye and mind. The use of the psychological relationship between reality and representation destabilizes both the viewer and the image being viewed. Hughes aims for this immersive experience, with the goal of taking his viewers somewhere they have never been before, though elements, such as famous architecture, walls, library settings and landscapes seem familiar. Hughes coined the term reverspective for these types of constructions, which he describes as “perspective in reverse.” He utilizes the traditional idea of linear perspective in which an artist can create the illusion of receding space and dimensionality with converging lines upon a single point on the horizon line. However, he reverses this concept by bringing these lines forward into space using three-dimensional planes while still abiding by a strict vanishing point. Hughes says, “When the principles of perspective are reversed, the mind is deceived into believing that a static painting can move of its own accord.” Born in 1939, Patrick Hughes completed formal training at the Leeds College of Art before beginning his artistic career. He developed his first reverspective work in 1964 for the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. Entitled Sticking-Out Room, Hughes’ hypnotic vision of an interior room seemed to recede in space, marking the beginning of the artist’s long...
Oil, Board
Himalayan Hues By Patrick Hughes
By Patrick Hughes
Located in New Orleans, LA
Patrick Hughes b. 1939 British Himalayan Hues Oil on board construction Another success from the artist, Himalayan Hues displays a three-dimensional, illusionistic scene for whic...
Oil, Board
Dog in a Manger by Patrick Hughes
By Patrick Hughes
Located in New Orleans, LA
Patrick Hughes b. 1939 British Dog in a Manger Oil on panel Patrick Hughes' original works are a feast for the eyes and also offer critical insights into the artist's unique poin...
Oil, Panel