By Vivienne Milburn, FRICS Independent Antiques Auctioneer & Valuer
Consigned from a Derbyshire private collector, this Patrick Hughes 3D print made £3,600 in the recent specialist auction – a solid price for what is fundamentally a print numbered 17 from an edition of 40.
Famed for being “The Artist Who Turns Perspective Upside Down” his 3D pictures have such a strong perspective that the viewer hardly notices the river and trees beyond the arches.
Patrick Hughes (born 1939) is one of Britain’s most distinctive contemporary artists, renowned for his extraordinary three-dimensional paintings that appear to move as the viewer walks past them. He has spent more than six decades challenging our understanding of space and perspective.
His artistic career began to gain attention in 1961, when he held his first solo exhibition at the Portal Gallery in London. Influenced by Surrealism, Dada and the playful experimentation of British Pop Art, he developed a fascination with the way the human eye interprets the world. His early experiments with perspective laid the foundations for the technique that would eventually define his career.
Hughes’s signature technique is called reverspective, a term combining “reverse” and “perspective.” Unlike a conventional painting, which creates the illusion of depth on a flat surface, his works are constructed from shaped wooden panels, typically formed into projecting pyramids or wedges. These structures are painted with images that deliberately reverse the normal rules of perspective.
The result is both playful and intellectually engaging. His subjects include libraries, architectural interiors, Venetian landscapes, books and everyday objects.
Auction results demonstrate that his most sought-after works can achieve prices well above their estimates. His appeal lies in the combination of visual and technical ingenuity and the fascination of owning a work that challenges conventional ideas about painting.
His pictures are immediately recognisable in a crowded contemporary art market. This combination of originality and intellectual playfulness helps explain why his three-dimensional pictures continue to attract good prices at auction.
If you require a valuation on your antiques and collectables, it is worth getting the advice of an Independent Antiques Valuer to assess your works of art. For information, please contact Vivienne Milburn on Mobile 07870 238788 or 01629 640210. www.viviennemilburn.co.uk email – vivienne@viviennemilburn.co.uk