Hughes was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1981. She studied at Rhode Island School of Design, and later at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Her early paintings took the form of interiors. Though seemingly playful and dreamlike, these domestic scenes were also deeply personal, reflecting her longing for a sense of home. The artist’s eye for pattern, colour and spatial complexity was already evident in these paintings, demonstrating the influence of David Hockney and Henri Matisse.
After settling in New York in 2014, Hughes arrived at her mature style. Her paintings began to look like landscapes, featuring organic motifs such as trees, flowers, rivers, mountains, suns and moons. Often rendered on large, immersive scales, these works oscillate between figuration and abstraction. Like the interiors, however, they are less depictions of places than expressions of Hughes’ own internal world. Their vibrant, chaotic surfaces are filled with emotion and sensation. The artist works freely and intuitively, allowing her subconscious to guide her decisions.
Alongside her paintings, Hughes makes mixed-media works on paper and prints. She has cited Paul Gauguin, Milton Avery, Chris Ofili and Howard Hodgkin as important precedents for her use of colour. Elsewhere, her works contain of echoes of Fauvism, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism. Hughes was also influenced by time spent in Scandinavia. In 2023, the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg, Denmark exhibited a series of works inspired by the light and colours of Nordic landscapes.
Hughes’ presentation at the 2017 Whitney Biennial was a landmark moment in her career. Since then she has exhibited internationally, with solo shows at major institutions worldwide. In May 2022, Christie’s sold Spins from Swiss (2017) for $2,940,000, setting a new auction record for the artist. Hughes was also invited to collaborate with Dior on their iconic Lady Dior bag in 2023.
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Spins from Swiss
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
New Moon Voodoo
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
It's Not My Jungle I'm Just Living In It
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Weeping Blur
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Wonder Under
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
At Full Tilt
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Rough Terrain
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Making Space
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
That's a Wall of Plants
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Greener Grass
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
You Spell Me
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
I don't Deserve These Flowers
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Rockstar
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
No Way Out
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Familiar Fairway Night
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Me Me Me
Shara Hughes (B. 1981)
High Waters
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Cascade
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
LA LA LAND
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
I'm Tired, Harbor Me
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Seeing and Skipping
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Half Pipe
Shara Hughes (b. 1981)
Georgia
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
I'm Tired, Harbor Me
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Looking Out
Shara Hughes (b. 1981)
Secret Office
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Let's Stay In the Dark on This One
Shara Hughes (B. 1981)
Rain Box
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
HERE AND THERE
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
View You
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Untitled
Shara Hughes (b. 1981)
Remodeling
Shara Hughes (b. 1981)
It's My Pot of Gold
Shara Hughes (b. 1981)
Into the Mystic
Shara Hughes (b. 1981)
Over the Overcast
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Chill Pill
Shara Hughes (b. 1981)
Make Me a Palette on The Floor
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Don’t Touch
Shara Hughes (b. 1981)
You are me and you are me too
Shara Hughes (b. 1981)
Water Tower
Shara Hughes (b. 1981)
Untitled
Shara Hughes (b. 1981)
Greenroom
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Remodeling
Shara Hughes (b. 1981)
In Your Dreams
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Erosion
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Going Off
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Here And There
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Proud To Be Here
SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Bright and Positive
NICOLE EISENMAN (B. 1965)
Couple Kissing