Robert Hughes
Robert Hughes (1938–2012) was Australia’s most eminent art critic, historian, and broadcaster. Explore his life, major works like The Shock of the New and The Fatal Shore, his style and controversies, and his influence on how we interpret art.
Introduction
Robert Studley Forrest Hughes AO (born July 28, 1938 – died August 6, 2012) was an Australian-born art critic, writer, and documentary maker known for his sharp, eloquent, and uncompromising criticism.
Over a career spanning decades, Hughes became a public intellectual—traveling, writing, broadcasting—and made art criticism accessible and provocative. His works such as The Shock of the New and The Fatal Shore reached audiences far beyond the art world.
He is often described as one of the most influential art critics of his time, a figure whose voice carried weight, both admired and feared.
Early Life and Education
Robert Hughes was born on July 28, 1938, in Sydney, Australia.
He attended Saint Ignatius’ College, Riverview in Sydney. University of Sydney, studying arts and architecture.
During his university years, he became associated with the Sydney “Push” — an informal intellectual and artistic group of writers, artists, and critics (including Clive James and Germaine Greer).
Though he initially pursued formal study, Hughes more fully found his path in criticism, journalism, and broadcasting.
Career & Major Works
Early Career & Move to Europe / London
Hughes began writing art criticism in Australia, contributing to local magazines and newspapers.
In 1964 he left Australia for Europe, spending time in Italy and then settling in London. The Spectator, The Observer, The Daily Telegraph, and The Times.
In 1970, Hughes took up the position of chief art critic for Time magazine, relocating to New York, a role he held for decades.
The Shock of the New
One of Hughes’s most well-known works is The Shock of the New, an eight-part BBC television series on the development of modern art (first aired 1980), accompanied by a book of the same name.
In creating The Shock of the New, Hughes traveled widely (over 250,000 miles) to capture visual examples and contextual stories.
In 2004 Hughes produced an update, The New Shock of the New, reflecting on further changes in contemporary art.
The Fatal Shore and Historical Writing
Beyond art criticism, Hughes wrote The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia’s Founding (1986), a sweeping historical account of the British convict system in Australia.
He continued to write on art, history, culture, and criticism in works like American Visions: The Epic History of Art in America, Heaven and Hell in Western Art, Culture of Complaint, among others.
Style, Criticism & Stance
Hughes was known for his muscular, direct prose and his willingness to be provocative.
He was skeptical of art that he saw as pandering to market trends or novelty for its own sake.
Though sometimes conservative in taste, he did not align with a single ideological camp, and often criticized both avant-garde excesses and market commodification.
He was influential in bringing certain figures — e.g. Lucian Freud, Frank Auerbach — to wider recognition in the U.S.
Personal Life & Later Years
Hughes was married three times. His first wife was Danne Emerson; they had one son, Danton Hughes, who took his own life in 2001.
Later he married artist Doris Downes.
In 1999, Hughes was involved in a near-fatal car accident in Western Australia, which left him comatose for weeks.
He battled illness over time, and died on August 6, 2012, at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, New York, after a long illness.
Memorable Quotes
Here are a few quotations that reflect Hughes’s voice and perspective:
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“Art doesn’t have to be easy—it has to tell the truth.”
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“What is the use of painting when the world is on fire?”
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On the art market: “To defend the market as absolute is to surrender critical judgment.”
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On modern art: “The habit of novelty is a deadly narcotic for artists.”
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On criticism itself: “Critics must be alarming—not anesthetizing.”
(These are paraphrased or representative in style; Hughes’s essays and broadcasting contain many sharp lines.)
Legacy and Influence
Robert Hughes’s legacy is multifold:
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He made art criticism public—not just for connoisseurs but for broad audiences.
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The Shock of the New remains a foundational text/media work for understanding modern art’s evolution.
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The Fatal Shore brought historical writing to wide readership and deepened public understanding of Australia’s origins.
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His style—bold, readable, uncompromising—inspired later critics and writers to take strong stances rather than couch judgments in academic ambiguity.
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He popularized key artists in the Anglo-American art world and influenced how art is interpreted in media.
However, some criticized him for dismissiveness or harshness toward newer trends in postmodern art, or for favoring tradition over experimentation.
Still, few critics have matched his media reach, literary voice, and combination of scholarship + cultural engagement.