Renowned British artist and Leeds Arts University alumnus Patrick Hughes has gifted his work Reverspective Versus Perspective (2007) to Leeds Arts University. The large 3-D sculptural painting will be displayed at Leeds Arts University’s Blenheim Walk site.
Hughes taught at Leeds Arts University, then called Leeds College of Art, from 1964 to 1969 under Principal Eric Taylor and alongside artists Stass Paraskos, David Seeger and Robin Page. His 3-D sculptural paintings explore the difference between perspective and ‘reverspective’. Reverspective is a term that Hughes coined to describe his paintings and the optical and visual illusions they create.
Image: Patrick Hughes, Reverspective Versus Perspective, 2007. Oil on Board Construction. Leeds Arts University.
On donating the work Hughes said “I am proud to be showing my work Reverspective Versus Perspective (2007) here in the University, in the belief and hope that it may inspire innovation and imagination in a new generation of students.”
Hughes’ career spans six decades. He held his first solo show, at the Portal Gallery, London in 1962 and in the 1970s Hughes’ name became synonymous with rainbow paintings. For the last 25 years his 3-D reverspective paintings have been exhibited around the world and featured in many public collections.
Image: Patrick Hughes, 2016.
Leeds Arts University Curator, Catriona McAra said “We are delighted to welcome a statement reverspective by Patrick Hughes into the University Art Collection. Hughes is widely recognised, alongside Anthony Earnshaw and Glen Baxter, as an important contributor to 1960s avant-garde activities in Leeds. His eye-catching optical illusion is pride of place in our atrium and has proven very popular with our students and visitors. We are grateful to Hughes for his ongoing friendship and generous donation.”
Patrick Hughes lives and works in London. His works are in collections that include The British Library, Tate and the British Academy in London; the Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow; The Deutsche Bibliothek, Frankfurt; and the Denver Art Museum. In 2016 the exhibition Patrick Hughes: Forwards to Backwards was held at Leeds Arts University.
In 2015 Hughes founded the Anthony Earnshaw Bursary in memory of his friend the surrealist artist Anthony Earnshaw. The Bursary is awarded annually and provides assistance towards costs for students studying Access to HE Diploma (Art & Design) at Leeds Arts University.