Shara Hughes has developed a distinctive and highly recognizable approach to painting, one that reimagines the tradition of landscape through a language of invention, intuition, and chromatic intensity. Based in Brooklyn, Hughes constructs environments that feel at once familiar and entirely imagined, spaces where trees, skies, horizons, and bodies of water emerge not from observation, but from an internal logic of composition and emotion.

Introduction

Shara Hughes (b. 1981, Atlanta, Georgia) studied at the Rhode Island School of Design before completing her MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her early practice was more closely aligned with figuration, but over time she shifted toward landscape as a primary subject: though not in any traditional sense. This transition allowed her to explore painting as a space of freedom, where the constraints of representation could be loosened in favor of invention. Her work reflects a sustained engagement with both art history and the visual language of modern painting, while maintaining a sense of immediacy and experimentation that resists rigid categorization.

Her paintings are not representations of specific places, but rather projections of psychological and visual experience. In this sense, Hughes belongs to a lineage of artists who have used landscape as a vehicle for abstraction and expression, yet her work remains resolutely contemporary in its sensibility—playful, bold, and structurally complex.

A Language of Color, Gesture, and Construction

Shara Hughes uses dizzying brushwork, vibrant colors, and shifting perspectives to make paintings that defy many of the existing conventions associated with the landscape genre. Natural motifs and patterned elements recur throughout Hughes’s pictures: snake-like trees, floating moons, distorted reflections in bodies of water, and stippled night skies appear in various permutations, synchronized with harder-to-define forms in which abstract and representational impulses co-exist in unorthodox harmony. Hughes’s paintings are immediately striking for their saturated palettes and dynamic compositions. Color is not descriptive but generative: skies may be rendered in electric pinks or acidic greens, water in deep violets or luminous blues. These unexpected combinations produce a heightened, almost surreal atmosphere.

Her compositions are carefully constructed yet retain a sense of spontaneity. Brushwork varies from broad, gestural passages to more controlled, graphic elements, creating a tension between structure and improvisation. Spatial depth is suggested but never fixed; foregrounds and backgrounds often collapse into one another, reinforcing the idea that these are invented rather than observed spaces.

At the center of Hughes’s practice is the landscape: yet it is a landscape filtered through imagination rather than direct experience. Trees, paths, horizons, suns, and bodies of water recur across her work, forming a vocabulary of elements that she continuously recombines. These motifs function less as natural features than as compositional tools. A tree may anchor the painting, a horizon may divide or destabilize space, and a sky may become a field of pure color. The result is a body of work that feels both cohesive and endlessly variable.

Technique and Process

Working primarily in oil on canvas, Hughes builds her paintings through a process that embraces both control and unpredictability. Layers of paint are applied, adjusted, and sometimes disrupted, allowing the composition to evolve organically. Hughes’s process rarely involves reference images; instead, she transposes the psychological complexity of her interior world into lush and layered compositions. She often mixes pigment directly atop her surfaces, and in this way creates intuitive, one-of-a-kind color palettes that simultaneously point to art historical movements like color field painting and Post-Impressionism. As she engages with these open-ended experiments in image-making, Hughes depicts kaleidoscopic visions of flora and fauna in processes of constant evolution.

“Everyone knows what a landscape looks like—there is an entire tradition of painting that informs our expectations. I wondered how I could take something that is seemingly so known and make it mine, while still getting all the satisfaction of painting, and the history of painting, in one.”

Her approach is intuitive yet deliberate. While the final image may appear spontaneous, it is the result of continuous negotiation—between color relationships, compositional balance, and the internal logic of the painting itself. This process gives her work a sense of vitality, as though each painting were discovering its own form in real time.

Institutional Presence and Exhibitions

Shara Hughes has achieved significant institutional recognition, with her work exhibited in major museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Museum of Modern Art. In 2017, the artist was honored with a dedicated room for her kaleidoscopic landscapes at the Whitney Biennial, which was met with rave reviews. Shara Hugues work has been the subject of a number of recent solo exhibitions at prestigious museums, including Le Consortium, Dijon (Shara Hughes: Pivot, November 2020 – June 2021), Garden Museum, London (Shara Hughes, May – June 2021), Aspen Art Museum, Aspen (Shara Hughes, July 2021 – September 2021) and Yuz Museum, Shanghai (Shara Hughes: The Bridge, November 2021 – January 2022). Next September Kunstmuseum Luzern will open a solo show of Hughes’ work, building upon her immense institutional exposure.

Her inclusion in these collections reflects the growing importance of her work within the broader context of contemporary painting, particularly in relation to the renewed interest in landscape and abstraction. Examples of Hughes’ works are included in the permanent collections of the Dallas Museum of Fine Art; the Foundation Louis Vuitton, Paris; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Denver Museum of Art; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

Gallery Representation and Market Position

Shara Hughes is represented by David Kordansky Gallery and Anton Kern Gallery, galleries that have played a central role in the development of her career and the expansion of her international presence.

At its core, Shara Hughes’s work is about possibility: about what painting can become when freed from the obligation to describe the world. Her landscapes are not places to be visited, but spaces to be experienced, constructed through color, gesture, and imagination. In an era where images are often tied to documentation, Hughes offers a different proposition: a painting that invents its own reality. Her work invites viewers not to recognize, but to engage, to enter a world where perception is fluid, and where the boundaries between abstraction and representation dissolve into a vibrant, ever-shifting field.

PART I: SUMMARY

Auction Market Overview

2025 AUCTION STATISTICS
Turnover: USD 960,701
-36.9 % vs. 2024
# Lots sold: 10 Lots
Sell-Through Rate: 91%

Highest Price Achieved at Auction:
Spins from Swiss, 2017
Christie’s New-York: 9 May 2022
USD 2,940,000

Shara Hughes’ market has developed steadily, supported by consistent institutional interest and strong primary market demand. Her paintings are widely collected, and her presence at auction has shown a clear trajectory of growth, reflecting both critical recognition and collector confidence.

Auction Summary

2025 Auction Highlights

10 lots sold at auction in 2025 for a total turnover of USD 960,700. With 1 lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 91%. The highest price of 2025 was achieved by Ole Reliable, a painting dated 2018, that sold at Sotheby’s in Hong-Kong, on 29 March 2025, for HKD 2,413,000 (USD 310,540).

2025 Top 3 Lots

2 lots sold for more than USD 100,000, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 564,540, representing 58.8% of the total turnover for 2025.

Furthermore, 7 Works on Paper sold at auction in 2025 for a total turnover of USD 95,515. With 1 lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 88%. The highest price of 2025 was achieved by Drawing for Loft, a drawing dated 2007, that sold at Sotheby’s, in New-York, on 1 October 2025, for USD 24,130. The average price for 2025 is USD 13,645.

2024 Auction Highlights

9 lots sold at auction in 2024 for a total turnover of USD 1,521,617. With 5 lots failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 64%. The highest price of USD 567,000 was achieved at Christie’s in New-York on 14 May 2024 for No Way Out, a painting dated 2023.

2024 Top 3 Lots

This is the only lot that sold for more than USD 500,000. 4 lots sold for more than USD 100,000, with a cumulative turnover of USD 1,182,817, representing 77.7% of the total turnover for 2024.

Furthermore, 7 Works on Paper sold at auction in 2024 for a total turnover of USD 134,365. With 3 lots failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 70%. The highest price for 2024 was achieved by Winter Blues, a drawing dated 2016, that sold at K Auction, in Seoul, on 21 February 2024, for KRW 46,200,000 (USD 34,500). The average price for 2024 is USD 19,195.

2023 Auction Highlights

17 lots sold at auction in 2023 for a turnover of USD 7,068,037. With 5 lots failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 77%. The highest price was achieved by Rough Terrain, a painting dated 2017, that sold at Christie’s in London on 28 February 2023 for GBP 630,00 (USD 761,973).

2023 Top 3 Lots

8 lots sold for more than USD 500,000, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 5,079,368, representing 69.7% of the total turnover for 2023.

2022 Auction Highlights

43 lots sold at auction in 2022 for a total turnover of USD 29,797,289. With only 1 lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is a nearly perfect 98%. 2022 was the year of all records for the artist. Spins from Swiss, a painting dated 2017 sold at a record price for the artist of USD 2,940,000 at Christie’s in New-York on 10 May 2022.

2022 Top 3 Lots

9 lots sold for more than USD 1 million, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 15,094,453, representing 50.7% of the total turnover for 2022.

2021 Auction Highlights

20 lots sold at auction in 2021 for a total turnover of USD 10,683,183. With no lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is a perfect 100%. The highest price was achieved at Phillips in New-York, on 17 November 2021 when Inside Outside, a painting dated 2018 sold for USD 1,482,000.

2021 Top 3 Lots

10 lots sold for more than USD 500,000 generating a cumulative turnover of USD 8,122,721, representing 76% of the total turnover of 2021.

Top Lots

#1. Spins from Swiss, 2017

Christie’s New-York: 9 May 2022
Estimated: USD 500,000 – 900,000
USD 2,940,000 

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Spins from Swiss, 2017
Oil and dye on canvas
78×70 inches (198.1 x 177.8 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘”Spins from Swiss” SHARA HUGHES 2017’ (on the reverse)

#3. Ignoring the Present, 2018

Sotheby’s New-York: 11 March 2022
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 400,000
USD 1,744,000

Ignoring the Present | Contemporary Curated | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Ignoring the Present, 2018
Oil and dye on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed Shara Hughes, titled Ignoring the Present and dated 2018 (on the verso)

#4. The Not Dark Dark Spots, 2017

#5. New Moon Voodoo, 2017

Christie’s New-York: 16 November 2022
Estimated: USD 500,000 – 700,000
USD 1,500,000

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
New Moon Voodoo, 2017
Oil and dye on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed, titled, dated and inscribed ‘SHARA HUGHES 2017 NYC “New Moon Voodoo”‘
(on the reverse)

#9. Night Picket, 2017

Phillips London: 15 October 2021
Estimated: GBP 80,000 – 120,000
GBP 869,500 / USD 1,196,175

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contemp… Lot 9 October 2021 | Phillips

PART II: AUCTION RESULTS

2026 Auction Results

NO SALE AT AUCTION AS OF 30 MARCH 2026

2025 Auction Results

FOR PAINTINGS ONLY

10 lots sold at auction in 2025 for a total turnover of USD 960,700. With 1 lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 91%. The highest price of 2025 was achieved by Ole Reliable, a painting dated 2018, that sold at Sotheby’s in Hong-Kong, on 29 March 2025, for HKD 2,413,000 (USD 310,540).

2025 Top 3 Lots

2 lots sold for more than USD 100,000, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 564,540, representing 58.8% of the total turnover for 2025.

XXXXXXXXXX

#1. Ole Reliable, 2018

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 29 March 2025
Estimated: HKD 1,200,000 – 1,800,000
HKD 2,413,000 / USD 310,540

Shara Hughes 莎拉・休斯 | Ole Reliable 可靠的老友 | Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction | 2025 | Sotheby’s

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Ole Reliable, 2018
Oil and acrylic on canvas
58 1/8 x 50 1/8 inches (147.5 x 127.5 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2018 (on the reverse)

#2. Narcissus, 2019

Sotheby’s New-York: 16 May 2025
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 200,000
USD 254,000

Narcissus | Contemporary Day Auction | 2025 | Sotheby’s

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Narcissus, 2019
Oil and acrylic on canvas
48×40 inches (121.9 x 101.6 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2019 (on the reverse)

USD 100,000

#3. Mushroom Hunt, 2015

Phillips New-York: 25 September 2025
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 90,300

Shara Hughes New Now: Modern & Contemporary Art

#4. You’re Not Lost Stupid, You’re Hiding, 2012

Phillips New-York: 28 February 2025
Estimated: USD 60,000 – 80,000
USD 88,900

Shara Hughes – New Now: Modern & Contemporary Art, New York Friday, February 28, 2025 at EST | Phillips

REPEAT SALE

Sotheby’s New-York: 28 September 2023
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 88,900

You’re Not Lost Stupid, You’re Hiding | Contemporary Curated | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

#6. Pencil Cactus, 2013

Phillips New-York: 28 February 2025
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 40,000
USD 38,100

Shara Hughes – New Now: Modern & Contemporary Art, New York Friday, February 28, 2025 at EST | Phillips

#7. One Neutral Cloud, 2020

Sotheby’s New-York: 1 October 2025
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 20,000
USD 35,560

One Neutral Cloud | Contemporary Discoveries | 2025 | Sotheby’s

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
One Neutral Cloud, 2020
Oil and acrylic on canvas
13 7/8 x 11 inches (35.2 x 27.9 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2020 (on the reverse)

#9. Seedlings, 2019

Sotheby’s New-York: 28 February 2025
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 25,400

Seedlings | Contemporary Discoveries | 2025 | Sotheby’s

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Seedlings, 2019
Oil and acrylic on canvas
14×11 inches (35.6 x 27.9 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2019 (on the reverse)

#10. Big Moon, 2015

Phillips Hong-Kong: 28 September 2025
Estimated: HKD 100,000 – 200,000
HKD 90,300 / USD 11,610

Shara Hughes Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale

Lots Passed

Legal Guardian, 2004

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 29 May 2025
Estimated: HKD 450,000 – 1,000,000
PASSED

Shara Hughes 莎拉 · 休斯 | Legal Guardian 法定監護人 | Modern & Contemporary Discoveries | 2025 | Sotheby’s

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Legal Guardian, 2004
Oil on canvas
55 7/8 x 66 1/8 inches (142×168 cm)
Signed and dated 2004 (on the reverse)

2024 Auction Results

FOR PAINTINGS ONLY

9 lots sold at auction in 2024 for a total turnover of USD 1,521,617. With 5 lots failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 64%. The highest price of USD 567,000 was achieved at Christie’s in New-York on 14 May 2024 for No Way Out, a painting dated 2023. This is the only lot that sold for more than USD 500,000.

2024 Top 3 Lots

4 lots sold for more than USD 100,000, with a cumulative turnover of USD 1,182,817, representing 77.7% of the total turnover for 2024.

XXXXXXXXXX

#1. No Way Out, 2023

Christie’s New-York: 14 May 2024
Estimated: USD 400,000 – 600,000
USD 567,000

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), No Way Out | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
No Way Out, 2023
Oil and acrylic on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed, titled, and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES 2023 “NO WAY OUT”‘ (on the reverse)
Signed again ‘Shara’ (on the stretcher)

#2. Let’s Stay In the Dark on This One, 2017

Christie’s New-York: 22 November 2024
Estimated: USD 250,000 – 350,000
USD 252,000

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), Let’s Stay In the Dark on This One | Christie’s

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Let’s Stay In the Dark on This One, 2017
Oil and acrylic on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES 2017 “Lets Stay In the Dark on This One”‘ (on the reverse)

#3. Lillypad Palace, 2016

Phillips New-York: 12 March 2024
Estimated: USD 200,000 – 300,000
USD 234,950

Shara Hughes – New Now New York Lot 25 March 2024 | Phillips

#4. Don’t Touch, 2007

Christie’s online: 2 April 2024
Estimated: HKD 800,000 – 1,200,000
HKD 1,008,000 / USD 128,867

https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/20th-21st-century-art-online/shara-hughes-b-1981-13/217344

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Don’t Touch, 2007
Oil on canvas
50 1/4 x 52 inches (127.5 x 132 cm)
Signed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES ’07’ (lower right)
Signed, inscribed, and dated ‘Shara Hughes 2007 Georgia’ (on the reverse)

USD 100,000

#5. Remodeling, 2008

Christie’s New-York: 17 May 2024
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 88,200

https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6482580

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Remodeling, 2008
Oil, acrylic, enamel, spray paint, oil pastel and graphite on canvas
51 1/8 x 55 1/4 inches (129.9 x 140.3 cm)
Signed, inscribed, titled and dated (on the reverse)

#6. Going Off, 2018

Christie’s New-York: 17 May 2024
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 75,600

https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6482473

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Going Off, 2018
Acrylic and oil on canvas
30×26 inches (76.2 x 66 cm)
Signed, inscribed, titled and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES 2018 “Going Off” NYC’ (on the reverse)

#7. Here And There, 2007

Christie’s New-York: 17 May 2024
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 69,300

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), Here And There | Christie’s

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Here And There, 2007
Oil, acrylic, enamel, and charcoal on canvas
32×32 inches (81.3 x 81.3 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘Shara Hughes 2007 “HERE AND THERE”‘ (on the reverse)

#8. Teal Walkway, 2015

Artnet Auctions: 22 February 2024
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 61,250

Teal Walkway by Shara Hughes on artnet Auctions

SHARA HUGHES
Teal Walkway, 2015
Oil and acrylic on canvas
15×12 inches (38.1 x 30.48 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2015 on the reverse

#9. Untitled, 2003

Phillips New-York: 17 July 2024
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 44,450

Shara Hughes – Modern & Contemporary Art Lot 93 July 2024 | Phillips

 Lots Passed

Magic Hour, 2016

Phillips New-York: 15 May 2024
Estimated: USD 180,000 – 250,000
PASSED

https://www.phillips.com/detail/shara-hughes/NY010524/328

2023 Auction Results

FOR PAINTINGS ONLY

17 lots sold at auction in 2023 for a turnover of USD 7,068,037. With 5 lots failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 77%. The highest price was achieved by Rough Terrain, a painting dated 2017, that sold at Christie’s in London on 28 February 2023 for GBP 630,00 (USD 761,973).

2023 Top 3 Lots

8 lots sold for more than USD 500,000, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 5,079,368, representing 69.7% of the total turnover for 2023.

XXXXXXXXXXX

#1. Rough Terrain, 2017

Christie’s London: 28 February 2023
Estimated: GBP 200,000 – 300,000
GBP 630,000 / USD 761,973

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Rough Terrain, 2017
Oil and acrylic on canvas
60×52 inches (152.4 x 132.1 cm)
Signed, titled, inscribed and dated (on the reverse)

#2. Milky Way, 2016

Phillips New-York: 16 May 2023
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 400,000
USD 698,500

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contempor… Lot 324 May 2023 | Phillips

#3. Sticks and Stones, 2018

Sotheby’s London: 1 March 2023
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 533,400 / USD 641,954

Sticks and Stones | The Now Evening Auction | | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Sticks and Stones, 2018
Oil and acrylic on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed Shara Hughes, titled Sticks and Stones, dated 2018 and variously inscribed (on the reverse)

#4. The Unsteady Eddy, 2017

Phillips London: 2 March 2023
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 533,400 / USD 636,819

#5. Bad News Beach, 2016

China Guardian: 13 June 2023
Estimated: CNY 3,800,000 – 4,800,000
CNY 4,370,000 / USD 610,480

REPEAT SALE

Phillips Hong-Kong: 7 June 2021
Estimated: HKD 1,000,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 1,890,000 / USD 243,581

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contempo… Lot 109 June 2021 | Phillips

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Bad News Beach, 2016
Oil and acrylic on canvas
60×52 inches (152.2 x 132 cm)
Signed, inscribed, titled and dated (on the reverse)

#6. My House Is The One With All The Holes In It, 2012

Sotheby’s New-York: 9 March 2023
Estimated: USD 220,000 – 280,000
USD 609,600

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
My House Is The One With All The Holes In It, 2012
Oil, enamel, acrylic and spray paint on canvas
72×72 inches (182.9 x 182.9 cm)
Signed Shara Hughes, titled and dated 2012 Fishers Island NY (on the reverse)
Signed Shara Hughes (on the stretcher)

#7. Getting Through This, 2017

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 5 April 2023
Estimated: HKD 3,500,000 – 5,500,000
HKD 4,445,000 / USD 566,249

Shara Hughes 莎拉・休斯 | Getting Through This 度過難關 | 50th Anniversary Contemporary Evening Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Getting Through This, 2017
Oil, acrylic and flashe on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2017 on the reverse

#8. In a Haze, 2020

Christie’s Shanghai: 23 September 2023
Estimated: CNY 1,800,000 – 2,800,000
CNY 4,032,000 / USD 553,808

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
In a Haze, 2020
Oil and acrylic on canvas
48×40 inches (122 x 101.5 cm)
Signed, inscribed, titled and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES NYC 2020 “In A Haze”’ (on the reverse)

USD 500,000

#9. Cascade, 2016

Christie’s New-York: 10 March 2023
Estimated: USD 400,000 – 600,000
USD 478,800

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Cascade, 2016
Oil, acrylic spray paint and enamel on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES “Cascade” 2016’ (on the reverse)

#10. Seeing and Skipping, 2018

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 28 May 2023
Estimated: HKD 3,000,000 – 5,000,000
HKD 3,150,000 / USD 402,198

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Seeing and Skipping, 2018
Oil and acrylic on canvas
58 1/8 x 50 inches (147.5 x 127 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES 2018 “Seeing and Skipping”’ (on the reverse)

#12. I’m Tired, Harbor Me, 2009

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 29 May 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,500,000 – 2,500,000
HKD 2,520,000 / USD 321,642

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), I’m Tired, Harbor Me | Christie’s (christies.com)

REPEAT SALE

Christie’s London: 25 March 2021
Estimated: GBP 100,000 – 150,000
GBP 300,000 / USD 411,579

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), I’m Tired, Harbor Me | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
I’m Tired, Harbor Me, 2009
Oil, acrylic and metallic paint on canvas
51 1/8 x 59 inches (130×150 cm)
Signed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES ’09’ (lower left)
Signed, titled, inscribed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES 2009 VEJBY DENMARK IM TIRED, HARBOR ME’ (on the reverse)

#13. Blue Lagoon, 2015

Phillips New-York: 16 May 2023
Estimated: USD 180,000 – 250,000
USD 190,500

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contempor… Lot 325 May 2023 | Phillips

#14. Late Day, 2015

Sotheby’s New-York: 19 May 2023
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 95,250

Late Day | Contemporary Day Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Late Day, 2015
Acrylic on canvas
13×11 inches (33 x 27.9 cm)
Signed, titled and dated NYC 2015 (on the reverse)

#15. You’re Not Lost Stupid You’re Hiding, 2012

Sotheby’s New-York: 28 September 2023
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 88,900

You’re Not Lost Stupid, You’re Hiding | Contemporary Curated | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
You’re Not Lost Stupid You’re Hiding, 2012
Oil, enamel, acrylic, spray paint on canvas
40×34 inches (101.6 x 86.4 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2012 (on the reverse)

#16. Misguided Cloud, 2016

Phillips online: 24 March 2023
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 50,000
GBP 30,480 / USD 37,694

Shara Hughes – Wired: Online Auction London Lot 3 May 2023 | Phillips

#17. Fits Just Right, 2016

Phillips London: 13 July 2023
Estimated: GBP 20,000 – 30,000
GBP 27,940 / USD 36,585

Shara Hughes – New Now London Lot 21 July 2023 | Phillips

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2022 Auction Results

---

FOR PAINTINGS ONLY

42 lots sold at auction in 2022 for a total turnover of USD 29,744,369. With only 1 lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 98%. 2022 was the year of all records for the artist. Spins from Swiss, a painting dated 2017 sold at a record price for the artist of USD 2,940,000 at Christie’s in New-York on 10 May 2022.

2022 Top 3 Lots

9 lots sold for more than USD 1 million, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 15,094,453, representing 50.7% of the total turnover for 2022.

XXXXXXXXX

#1. Spins from Swiss, 2017

Christie’s New-York: 9 May 2022
Estimated: USD 500,000 – 900,000
USD 2,940,000 

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Spins from Swiss, 2017
Oil and dye on canvas
78×70 inches (198.1 x 177.8 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘”Spins from Swiss” SHARA HUGHES 2017’ (on the reverse)

#2. Naked Lady, 2019

Sotheby’s London: 2 March 2022
Estimated: GBP 220,000 – 280,000
GBP 2,031,500 / USD 2,715,546

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Naked Lady, 2019
Oil and dye on canvas
78×66 inches (198.1 x 167.6 cm)
Signed Shara Hughes, titled Naked Lady, dated 2019 and variously inscribed (on the verso)

#3. Ignoring the Present, 2018

Sotheby’s New-York: 11 March 2022
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 400,000
USD 1,744,000

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Ignoring the Present, 2018
Oil and dye on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed Shara Hughes, titled Ignoring the Present and dated 2018 (on the verso)

#4. The Not Dark Dark Spots, 2017

#5. New Moon Voodoo, 2017

Christie’s New-York: 16 November 2022
Estimated: USD 500,000 – 700,000
USD 1,500,000

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
New Moon Voodoo, 2017
Oil and dye on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed, titled, dated and inscribed ‘SHARA HUGHES 2017 NYC “New Moon Voodoo”‘
(on the reverse)

#8. Untitled, 2005

Seoul Auction: 22 March 2022
Estimated: KRW 600,000,000 – 800,000,000
KRW 1,357,000,000 / USD 1,133,168

SHARA HUGHES
Untitled, 2005
Oil and acrylic on canvas
48 x 42 3/8 inches (122 x 107.5 cm)
Signed on the lower right

#9. Wonder Under, 2016

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 26 May 2022
Estimated: HKD 3,000,000 – 5,000,000
HKD 8,190,000 / USD 1,043,325

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Wonder Under, 2016
Oil, acrylic and dye on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed, titled, inscribed and dated ‘”Wonder Under” SHARA HUGHES 2016 NYC 68X60’ (on the reverse)

USD 1 million

#10. Where the Sky Ends, 2018

Sotheby’s London: 3 March 2022
Estimated: GBP 200,000 – 300,000
GBP 693,000 / USD 923,138

Where the Sky Ends | Modern & Contemporary Day Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Where the Sky Ends, 2018
Oil and acrylic on canvas
68×60 inches (172.5 by 152.2 cm)
Signed on the stretcher; signed, titled and dated 2018 on the reverse

 #11. At Full Tilt, 2018

Christie’s London: 27 June 2022
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 730,800 / USD 891,980

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
At Full Tilt, 2018
Oil and acrylic on canvas
78×66 inches (198.1 x 167.6 cm)
signed, inscribed, titled, and dated (on the reverse)

#12. Crooked, 2017

Phillips London: 3 March 2022
Estimated: GBP 180,000 – 250,000
GBP 627,500 / USD 835,886

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contempo… Lot 11 March 2022 | Phillips

SHARA HUGHES
Crooked, 2017
Acrylic, oil and dye on canvas
69×61 inches (175.3 x 154.9 cm)
Signed, titled, inscribed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES 2017 London ”CROOKED”’ on the reverse

#13. Pleasure House, 2017

Phillips Hong-Kong: 22 June 2022
Estimated: HKD 3,000,000 – 5,000,000
HKD 6,542,000 / USD 833,407

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contempora… Lot 6 June 2022 | Phillips

SHARA HUGHES
Pleasure House, 2017
Oil and acrylic on canvas
68 1/8 x 60 inches (173 x 152.5 cm)
Signed, titled, dated and inscribed ‘2017 SHARA HUGHES “Pleasure House” NYC’ on the reverse
Further signed and inscribed ‘Shara Hughes Greenpoint Ave’ on the stretcher

#14. Making Space, 2021

Christie’s New-York: 17 November 2022
Estimated: USD 400,000 – 600,000
USD 756,000

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Making Space, 2021
Oil and acrylic on canvas
78×66 inches (198.1 x 167.6 cm)
Signed, inscribed, titled and dated ‘NYC 2021 SHARA HUGHES “Making Space”‘
(on the reverse)

#15. I am an Island, 2016

Sotheby’s New-York: 19 May 2022
Estimated: USD 250,000 – 350,000
USD 693,000

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
I am an Island, 2016
Oil, acrylic, spray paint and Flashe on canvas
60×52 inches (152.4 x 132.1 cm)
Signed Shara Hughes, titled I am an Island and dated 2016 (on the reverse)

#16. You Are My Sunshine, 2010

Sotheby’s London: 29 June 2022
Estimated: GBP 200,000 – 300,000
GBP 567,000 / USD 688,691

You Are My Sunshine | Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
You Are My Sunshine, 2010
Oil, acrylic, enamel, glitter, paint pen and spray paint on canvas
48×60 inches (121.7 x 152.5 cm)
Signed Shara Hughes, dated 2010, titled You Are My Sunshine, and variously inscribed (on the reverse)

#17. That’s a Wall of Plants, 2007

Christie’s New-York: 10 March 2022
Estimated: USD 180,000 – 220,000
USD 680,400

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), That’s a Wall of Plants | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
That’s a Wall of Plants, 2007
Oil, acrylic, enamel, paint pen and spray paint on canvas
52×50 inches (132.1 x 127.3 cm)
Signed twice, inscribed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES December New York 2007 Shara Hughes’ (on the reverse)

#18. You Spell Me, 2010

Christie’s London: 1 March 2022
Estimated: GBP 150,000 – 200,000
GBP 478,800 / USD 637,634

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), You Spell Me | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
You Spell Me, 2010
Oil, acrylic, spray paint, metallic paint, oil pastel, enamel, glitter and sequins on canvas.
50×56 inches (127 x 142.7 cm)
Signed ‘SHARA HUGHES’ (lower right)
Signed, titled, inscribed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES ‘YOU SPELL ME’ 2010 GEORGIA’ (on the reverse)

 #19. Greener Grass, 2015

Seoul Auction: 23 August 2022
Estimated: KRW 800,000,000 – 1,300,000,000
KRW 826,000,000 / USD 614,720

REPEAT SALE

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 2 December 2021
Estimated: HKD 600,000 – 1,000,000
HKD 5,000,000 / USD 641,568

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), Greener Grass | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Greener Grass, 2015
Oil, enamel, spray paint and acrylic on canvas
48×40 inches (122 x 101.6 cm)
Signed, titled, inscribed and dated ‘”Greener Grass” 2015 Shara Hughes NYC’ (on the reverse)

#20. Subtle Signals, 2020

Sotheby’s London: 30 June 2022
Estimated: GBP 200,000 – 300,000
GBP 504,000 / USD 612,840

Subtle Signals | Modern & Contemporary Day Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Subtle Signals, 2020
Oil and acrylic on canvas
58 ⅛ x 50 inches (147.5 x 126.9 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2020 on the reverse

#21. Hedge Edge, 2018

Sotheby’s New-York: 20 May 2022
Estimated: USD 250,000 – 350,000
USD 604,800

Hedge Edge | Contemporary Day Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Hedge Edge, 2018
Oil and acrylic on canvas
50 x 43 7/8 inches (127 x 111.4 cm)
Signed SHARA HUGHES, titled and dated 2018 (on the reverse)

#22. Rockstar, 2005

Christie’s New-York: 13 May 2022
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 200,000
USD 604,800

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), Rockstar | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Rockstar, 2005
Oil on canvas
48×48 inches (121.9 x 121.9 cm)
Signed ‘SHARA HUGHES’ (lower right)
Signed again, inscribed and dated ‘Shara Hughes 2005 Georgia’ (on the reverse)

#23. Stairway to Heaven, 2018

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 7 October 2022
Estimated: HKD 3,500,000 – 5,500,000
HKD 4,662,000 / USD 593,847

Shara Hughes 莎拉・休斯 | Stairway to Heaven 通往天堂的階梯 | Contemporary Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Stairway to Heaven, 2018
Oil and acrylic on canvas
84×70 inches (213.3 x 177.8 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2018 on the reverse

#24. LA LA LAND, 2009

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 30 November 2022
Estimated: HKD 1,500,000 – 2,500,000
HKD 3,276,000 / USD 421,198

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
LA LA LAND, 2009
Oil, glitter, wood shavings, acrylic, spray paint on canvas
142.5 x 137 cm (56 1/8 x 53 7/8 inches)
Signed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES 2009’ (lower right)
Signed, inscribed, titled and dated ‘”LA LA LAND” 56 x 54 Shara Hughes 2009 GEORGIA’
(on the reverse)

#25. Trapped, 2007

Sotheby’s London: 28 April 2022
Estimated: GBP 100,000 – 150,000
GBP 327,600 / USD 407,462

Trapped | Contemporary Curated | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Trapped, 2007
Oil and acrylic on canvas
49 1/2 x 51 3/8 inches (125.6 x 130.6 cm)
Signed twice and dated New York 2007 on the reverse

#26. Half Pipe, 2006

Christie’s New-York: 10 March 2022
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 200,000
USD 403,200

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), Half Pipe | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Half Pipe, 2006
Oil, enamel and graphite on canvas
52 x 53 7/8 inches (132.1 x 136.8 cm)
Signed and dated ‘S. HUGHES ’06’ (lower right)|
Signed again, inscribed and dated again ‘SHARA HUGHES 2006 Colorado’ (on the reverse)

#27. Wavy Navy, 2015

Phillips London: 30 June 2022
Estimated: GBP 250,000 – 350,000
GBP 252,000 / USD 306,429

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contempora… Lot 2 June 2022 | Phillips

#28. So Romantical, 2006

Sotheby’s New-York: 11 March 2022
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 200,000
USD 302,400

So Romantical | Contemporary Curated | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
So Romantical, 2006
Oil, acrylic and silver paint on canvas
46×52 inches (116.8 x 132.1 cm)
Signed S. Hughes (lower right)
Signed Shara Hughes, titled So Romantical and dated 2006 (on the verso)

#31. Rock Collection, 2007

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 8 July 2022
Estimated: HKD 800,000 – 1,200,000
HKD 2,016,000 / USD 256,870

Rock Collection 岩石收藏 | Contemporary Curated: Hong Kong | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Rock Collection, 2007
Oil, enamel, pencil on canvas
46 1/8 x 50 1/4 inches (117 x 127.5 cm)
Signed and dated ’07; signed and dated 2007 on the reverse

#33. Gihon River, 2005

Phillips London: 13 October 2022
Estimated: GBP 120,000 – 180,000
GBP 214,200 / USD 242,967

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Conte… Lot 112 October 2022 | Phillips

#35. Cozy Crescent, 2018

Phillips New-York: 19 May 2022
Estimated: USD 60,000 – 80,000
USD 214,200

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contempor… Lot 305 May 2022 | Phillips

#36. HERE AND THERE, 2007

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 21 January 2022
Estimated: HKD 500,000 – 800,000
HKD 1,625,000 / USD 208,691

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), HERE AND THERE | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
HERE AND THERE, 2007
Oil, acrylic, enamel and charcoal on canvas
31 1/2 x 32 inches (80.1 x 81.3 cm)
Titled, signed and dated ‘Shara Hughes 2007 “HERE AND THERE” ’ (on the reverse)

#37. Untitled, 2007

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 27 May 2022
Estimated: HKD 500,000 – 800,000
HKD 1,386,000 / USD 176,571

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), Untitled | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Untitled, 2007
Acrylic on canvas
47 7/8x 52 inches (121.5 x 132 cm)
Signed twice, inscribed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES Shara Hughes NEW YORK 2007’ (on the reverse)

#38. Rough Rivers, 2017

Heffel Fine Art: 24 November 2022
Estimated: CAD 250,000 – 350,000
CAD 217,250 / USD 162,953

Heffel | Canadas National Fine Art Auction House – Live Art Auction

#39. Bridezilla, 2007

Phillips New-York: 28 September 2022
Estimated: USD 70,000 – 100,000
USD 151,200

Shara Hughes – New Now New York Lot 19 September 2022 | Phillips

#40. Chill Pill, 2016

Christie’s New-York: 13 May 2022
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 138,600

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), Chill Pill | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Chill Pill, 2016
Oil, acrylic and dye on canvas
36×30 inches (91.4 x 76.2 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES “Chill Pill” 2016’ (on the reverse)

#41. Basement, 2007

Phillips New-York: 16 November 2022
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 126,000

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Cont… Lot 331 November 2022 | Phillips

#42. Anticipation, 2018

Sotheby’s New-York: 17 November 2022
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 107,100

Anticipation | Contemporary Day Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Anticipation, 2018
Oil and acrylic on canvas
14×11 inches (35.6 x 26 cm)
Signed SHARA HUGHES, titled and dated 2018 (on the reverse)

2021 Auction Results

FOR PAINTINGS ONLY

20 lots sold at auction in 2021 for a total turnover of USD 10,683,183. With no lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is a perfect 100%. The highest price was achieved at Phillips in New-York, on 17 November 2021 when Inside Outside, a painting dated 2018 sold for USD 1,482,000. 10 lots sold above USD 500,000 generating a cumulative turnover of USD 8,122,721, representing 76% of the total turnover of 2021.

2021 Top 3 Lots

XXXXXXXXXX

#1. Inside Outside, 2018

Phillip New-York: 17 November 2021
Estimated: USD 250,000 – 350,000
USD 1,482,000

#2. It’s Not My Jungle I’m Just Living In It, 2017

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 30 November 2021
Estimated: HKD 1,500,000 – 2,500,000
HKD 9,850,000 / USD 1,264,214

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
It’s Not My Jungle I’m Just Living In It, 2017
Oil, acrylic and dye on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed, titled, inscribed and dated (on the reverse)

#3. Night Picket, 2017

Phillips London: 15 October 2021
Estimated: GBP 80,000 – 120,000
GBP 869,500 / USD 1,196,175

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contemp… Lot 9 October 2021 | Phillips

#4. Pink Morning, 2016

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 9 October 2021
Estimated: HKD 800,000 – 1,200,000
HKD 5,015,000 / USD 644,212

Shara Hughes 莎拉・休斯 | Pink Morning 粉紅色的早晨 | Contemporary Art Evening Sale | 2021 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Pink Morning, 2016
Oil on canvas
60×54 inches (152.5 x 137 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2016 on the reverse

#5. Greener Grass, 2015

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 2 December 2021
Estimated: HKD 600,000 – 1,000,000
HKD 5,000,000 / USD 641,568

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), Greener Grass | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Greener Grass, 2015
Oil, enamel, spray paint and acrylic on canvas
48×40 inches (122 x 101.6 cm)
Signed, titled, inscribed and dated ‘”Greener Grass” 2015 Shara Hughes NYC’ (on the reverse)

#6. Magic Island, 2012

Phillips Hong-Kong: 30 November 2021
Estimated: HKD 1,500,000 – 2,500,000
HKD 4,788,000 / USD 614,090

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Conte… Lot 12 November 2021 | Phillips

#7. I don’t Deserve These Flowers, 2010

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 25 May 2021
Estimated: HKD 600,000 – 1,000,000
HKD 4,750,000 / USD 611,900

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), I don’t Deserve These Flowers | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
I don’t Deserve These Flowers, 2010
Oil, acrylic, enamel and spray paint on canvas
48×48 inches (121.9 x 121.9 cm)
Signed, titled, dated and inscribed ‘SHARA HUGHES I don’t Deserve These Flowers 2010 GEORGIA’ (on the reverse)

#8. Familiar Fairway Night, 2019

Christie’s New-York: 11 November 2021
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 562,500

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Familiar Fairway Night, 2019
Oil and acrylic on canvas
36×30 inches (91.4 x 76.2 cm)
Signed, titled and dated (on the reverse)

#10. Me Me Me, 2009

Christie’s London: 15 October 2021
Estimated: GBP 100,000 – 150,000
GBP 400,000 / USD 550,282

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Me Me Me, 2009
Oil, acrylic, enamel, oil pastel and metallic paint on canvas
51 5/8 x 47 5/8 inches (131×121 cm)
Signed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES 09’ (lower left)

USD 500,000

#11. Weeping Willow, 2017

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 19 April 2021
Estimated: HKD 800,000 – 1,200,000
HKD 3,528,000 / USD 454,276

Shara Hughes 莎拉‧休斯 | Weeping Willow 哭泣的垂柳 | Contemporary Art Evening Sale | 2021 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Weeping Willow, 2017
Oil on canvas
68×60 inches (173×152 cm)
Signed, titled, dated 2017 and inscribed on the reverse

#12. Swamp Things, 2015

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 10 October 2021
Estimated: HKD 600,000 – 800,000
HKD 3,528,000 / USD 453,208

Shara Hughes 莎拉‧休斯 | Swamp Things 沼澤事物 | Contemporary Art Day Sale | 2021 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Swamp Things, 2015
Oil, acrylic, enamel and spray paint on canvas
55 7/8 x 48 inches (142 x 121.8 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2015 on the reverse

#13. I’m Tired, Harbor Me, 2009

Christie’s London: 25 March 2021
Estimated: GBP 100,000 – 150,000
GBP 300,000 / USD 411,579

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), I’m Tired, Harbor Me | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
I’m Tired, Harbor Me, 2009
Oil, acrylic and metallic paint on canvas
51 1/8 x 59 inches (130×150 cm)
Signed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES ’09’ (lower left)
Signed, titled, inscribed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES 2009 VEJBY DENMARK IM TIRED, HARBOR ME’ (on the reverse)

#14. Legal Guardian, 2004

Phillips Hong-Kong: 29 November 2021
Estimated: HKD 800,000 – 1,200,000
HKD 2,142,000 / USD 274,643

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Cont… Lot 106 November 2021 | Phillips

#15. Bad News Beach, 2016

Phillips Hong-Kong: 7 June 2021
Estimated: HKD 1,000,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 1,890,000 / USD 243,581

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contempo… Lot 109 June 2021 | Phillips

Repeat Sales

You’re Not Lost Stupid, You’re Hiding, 2012

Phillips New-York: 28 February 2025
Estimated: USD 60,000 – 80,000
USD 88,900

Shara Hughes – New Now: Modern & Contemporary Art, New York Friday, February 28, 2025 at EST | Phillips

REPEAT SALE

Sotheby’s New-York: 28 September 2023
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 88,900

You’re Not Lost Stupid, You’re Hiding | Contemporary Curated | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

Bad News Beach, 2016

China Guardian: 13 June 2023
Estimated: CNY 3,800,000 – 4,800,000
CNY 4,370,000 / USD 610,480

REPEAT SALE

Phillips Hong-Kong: 7 June 2021
Estimated: HKD 1,000,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 1,890,000 / USD 243,581

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contempo… Lot 109 June 2021 | Phillips

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Bad News Beach, 2016
Oil and acrylic on canvas
60×52 inches (152.2 x 132 cm)
Signed, inscribed, titled and dated (on the reverse)

I’m Tired, Harbor Me, 2009

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 29 May 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,500,000 – 2,500,000
HKD 2,520,000 / USD 321,642

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), I’m Tired, Harbor Me | Christie’s (christies.com)

REPEAT SALE

Christie’s London: 25 March 2021
Estimated: GBP 100,000 – 150,000
GBP 300,000 / USD 411,579

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), I’m Tired, Harbor Me | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
I’m Tired, Harbor Me, 2009
Oil, acrylic and metallic paint on canvas
51 1/8 x 59 inches (130×150 cm)
Signed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES ’09’ (lower left)
Signed, titled, inscribed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES 2009 VEJBY DENMARK IM TIRED, HARBOR ME’ (on the reverse)

PART III: FOCUS

Record Breakers

Spins from Swiss, 2017

Christie’s New-York: 9 May 2022
Estimated: USD 500,000 – 900,000
USD 2,940,000 

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Spins from Swiss, 2017
Oil and dye on canvas
78×70 inches (198.1 x 177.8 cm)
Signed, titled and dated ‘”Spins from Swiss” SHARA HUGHES 2017’ (on the reverse)

Known for her psychologically-charged tableaus that border on abstraction, Shara Hughes is quickly becoming a formidable force within a new generation of forward-thinking painters. Realized the same year as the artist’s inclusion in the Whitney Biennial, Spins from Swiss is a magnificent example of her whole-hearted transition into landscape painting. Lauded early in her career for interior scenes that mixed personal objects with tumultuous architecture, in 2014 she left the heavy symbolism of these rooms and traveled through the open window into a fantastical outdoor realm. Feeling a certain restriction in her previous setting, venturing into the time-honored format of the landscape afforded a new freedom and helped push Hughes to the very brink of abstraction.

Revealing a mountainous region not unlike the towering forms depicted in traditional Chinese landscape painting, Spins from Swiss offers an elevated view onto a series of winding roads snaking through an impossibly-colored vista. Bleeds and stains of color combine with expressive strokes that morph from pure paint into roads, rivers, and wooded hills. A central outcropping is peaked with orange while a number of diaphanous pillars reminiscent of Helen Frankenthaler’s stained canvases hover in the background. The entire scene vibrates with light, movement, and a sense of wonder. One gets the feeling that they have stepped through a wooded screen and are witnessing this miraculous sight for the first time.

Ignoring the Present, 2018

Sotheby’s New-York: 11 March 2022
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 400,000
USD 1,744,000

Ignoring the Present | Contemporary Curated | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Ignoring the Present, 2018
Oil and dye on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed Shara Hughes, titled Ignoring the Present and dated 2018 (on the verso)

In landscapes governed through a profoundly personal aesthetic, Shara Hughes creates scenes of surrealistic delight. Possessing an almost alien-like nature, her unrestrained use of vibrant colors composes scenes that submerge us in the experience of polychromatic savagery. Inspired in the emotional experiences of her life, this contemporary fauvist tries to recreate the ‘figurative’ form to her psychological experiences. The result is an outlandish panorama that captures viewers through the experience of the unknown presented through a spectacle of color. An overpoweringly successful upcoming artist, her work has been included in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Georgia, the Denver Art Museum, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Furthermore, Hughes’s artwork was prominently displayed in the Whitney Biennial of 2017, which featured a complete room for the single display of her oeuvre.

SHARA HUGHES EXHIBITION VIEW AT THE PIVOT, CONSORTIUM MUSEUM.
PHOTO REBECCA FANUELE © CONSORTIUM MUSEUM

In this recent work from 2018, Hughes submerges us in a forest of ferocious wonder. Positioning the viewer on the first plane, the view is framed by two slender trees whose leaves—both bloom and bursting bubble—appear to fill the canvas and obtrude the view into the mystical prairie. Inundated by the warm light of a sun setting behind a vibrating blue body of water, two hills have been submerged in a countless number of red, orange and yellow flowers. Meanwhile, a pink firmament with mellow purple clouds crowns this dreamlike scenario. Reminiscent of Cezanne, Hughes positions the viewer as an immediate onlooker by providing them with a clear entry point into the scene—in this case, the trees with a path—provoking an instantaneous submersion into her psychological universes. The immediate impression plays with the attention of the viewer, pushing and pulling it away through the planes of the canvas.

The Not Dark Dark Spots, 2017

New Moon Voodoo, 2017

Christie’s New-York: 16 November 2022
Estimated: USD 500,000 – 700,000
USD 1,500,000

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
New Moon Voodoo, 2017
Oil and dye on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed, titled, dated and inscribed ‘SHARA HUGHES 2017 NYC “New Moon Voodoo”‘
(on the reverse)

Rendered on a human scale, New Moon Voodoo captures the viewer in a surface alight with neon hues and optically-rich brushwork. Verdant greens are replaced with vivid pinks, purples, and icy blue as the small copse transforms into fiery, feisty cluster of electric branches and painterly undergrowth. Peering through a tangled thicket, we notice leafy outcroppings and bulbous trees in the background that populate a streaky violet and aqua plain. In the midground, Hughes layers abstract areas that seem to be both patterned inventions and depictions of some alien forest. A blue mass filled with darker strokes and pink dots could be water or an abundance of strange flora that seems to rush toward the center of the work and join the more rocky forms in the foreground. Glowing pink and orange branches extend from the ground as they fight for visual dominance with a thick vertical stroke that shares similarities with a tree trunk blocking our sight line as much as with a glitch or error in a video screen. Her adept mixture of solid line and bleeding, washy color combine to create a surreal scene that might as well have been plucked from a dream.

Hughes is expert in her ability to meld different references from art history, informing each of her hypnotic, otherworldly landscapes. While her outlandish palette is reminiscent of the highly saturated colors of the Fauves such as Henri Matisse, and the vibrant works of David Hockney, her biomorphic forms recall the works of the Surrealists, and her decorative framing devices reveal an indebtedness to the Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt.  In Tipsy, the curving tree at the fore of the image bends around the yolk-like sun, serving as a framing device for the sunset or sunrise within, highlighting the sumptuous detail of her warm pigments and shifting textures that capture the light’s reflection on what we imagine to be a calm body of water. Further, the tree swirls drunkenly down and around the tangerine sun in a manner that recalls the drooping, globular forms of the famous Spanish Surrealist, Salvador Dalí, reinforcing the strange yet wonderful quality of Hughes imaginary landscapes that transport the viewer to another world.

Inside Outside, 2018

Phillip New-York: 17 November 2021
Estimated: USD 250,000 – 350,000
USD 1,482,000

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contem… Lot 1 November 2021 | Phillips

Oscillating between abstraction and figuration, the imaginary and the actual, Shara Hughes’ Inside Outside, 2018 is from a series of landscapes the artist undertook in 2014. After years of devoting her practice to highly representational and detailed interiors, this series marked a shift by the artist into a more “instinctual” or “spontaneous” painting philosophy. In electrifying hues of vermilion, orange and green, a fantastic landscape unfolds before us. In the background, our vision is drawn towards a strip of color in pastel tones of coral and lavender—a path leading into a distant horizon. Solid swaths of paint in rich forest greens, stunning reds and deep blue evidence the artist walking a fine line between figurative vegetation and scenery, expressionist force and physical action. These elements in Hughes’ work evoke both the process and energy of Lee Krasner and Joan Mitchell, while at the same time, echoing the tension first explored in the paintings of Wassily Kandinsky, the father of modern abstraction.

In Inside Outside, the vista seems to reveal itself from an intimate perspective, framed in the work’s foreground with what could ostensibly be classified as an enclosure of brambly branches, rendered in equally sharp brushstrokes of earth, vibrant teal and green tints. The viewer seems to observe the painting through our “hideout” behind the foliage—much like the painting’s title implies. Hughes often frames her landscapes to endow them with this very accessible viewpoint: “I want anyone to be able to enter in them,” she declared. Indeed, working directly from her imagination, avoiding all physical reference points and premature planning, has afforded Hughes a new-found freedom in her work which is indisputable in her landscapes in general, and the current work in particular. Her virtuosity is in lending not only psychological accessibility but also a distinctly contemporary and fresh feel to a long-standing, art-historical tradition of landscape paintings.

Night Picket, 2017

Phillips London: 15 October 2021
Estimated: GBP 80,000 – 120,000
GBP 869,500 / USD 1,196,175

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contemp… Lot 9 October 2021 | Phillips

Creating strange, surreal landscapes bursting with bold, clashing colors, American painter and printmaker Shara Hughes engages energetically with the art of the past in her refreshingly spontaneous and decidedly contemporary take on the genre of landscape painting. Working exclusively from her imagination and adopting an intuitive approach to her un-planned paintings, Hughes’s vibrant compositions explore what the artist describes as ‘invented landscapes’ – placeless places that resonate with emotional depth and posses a universal appeal, as her stratospheric rise since her 2017 Whitney Museum of American Art Biennial debut would suggest.

Executed in an intensely rich palette of cobalt blues, cherry reds and electric shocks of yellow, Night Picket invites us into a strange, night-shrouded world as mysterious as it is alluring. Visible through a gap in the tightly grouped trees, the butter-yellow orb of the moon illuminates the scene below, its light reflected in the smooth surface of a calm, circular pool at the centre of the composition. With its sharply rendered tree-forms and lunar disc thrown up in the sky behind Night Picket contains strong visual echoes of Surrealist Max Ernst’s forest series from the late 1920s and early 30s, capturing the same careful balance between enchantment and foreboding that animate his frottaged forests. Cloaked in undulating lines of thick, luscious foliage that encroach in upon it from the picture’s edge, the pool is circled by a group of sentinel trees, strangely human as they stand to attention. Picking up on this theme the title, Night Picket, conjures the image of soldiers sent out to watch for enemies, the angular forms of the broken branches scattered on the ground lending the trees a somewhat ominous air. Tightly organized and creating a magnetic sense of depth, the ripples of turquoise and aquamarine draw our eye up and into the very center of the composition, generating a visceral push-pull sensation as we strain to move beyond the solid trunks in the foreground.

Dream Landscapes

Milky Way, 2016

Phillips New-York: 16 May 2023
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 400,000
USD 698,500

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contempor… Lot 324 May 2023 | Phillips

Getting Through This, 2017

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 5 April 2023
Estimated: HKD 3,500,000 – 5,500,000
HKD 4,445,000 / USD 566,249

Shara Hughes 莎拉・休斯 | Getting Through This 度過難關 | 50th Anniversary Contemporary Evening Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Getting Through This, 2017
Oil, acrylic and flashe on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2017 on the reverse

With its highly saturated, colors and bold, abstract shapes, Getting Through This from 2017 illuminates the vivid engagement with color and light, the organic and the surreal, the individual and the universal, which has garnered Shara Hughes international and critical acclaim in recent years. Using memory, association and imagination to subvert traditional representations of landscape, Hughes’ vistas explore the psychological and spiritual realms through the artist’s fantastical use of color. Luscious forms and illusory shapes are mapped by the artist’s expressive brushstrokes, evoking a whimsical otherworldliness akin to Matisse’s Fauvist landscapes and David Hockney’s electric compositions.

As opposed to using the usual horizontal orientation, Hughes mimics the proportions of a vertical phone screen, straying from conventional spatial relationships involving strict delineations of foreground, middle ground, and background. In utilizing a myriad of framing strategies, Getting Through This invites the viewer into a surrealistic, prismatic impression of reality. With organic shapes employed as visual entry points, elements of Hughes’ landscapes hint at the figurative.

The Unsteady Eddy, 2017

Phillips London: 2 March 2023
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 533,400 / USD 636,819

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contempor… Lot 6 March 2023 | Phillips

Sticks and Stones, 2018

Sotheby’s London: 1 March 2023
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 533,400

Sticks and Stones | The Now Evening Auction | | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Sticks and Stones, 2018
Oil and acrylic on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed Shara Hughes, titled Sticks and Stones, dated 2018 and variously inscribed (on the reverse)

A striking example of Shara Hughes’ fantastical landscapes, Sticks and Stones from 2018 illuminates a vivid engagement with color and light, and a harmonic balance between the natural and the imaginative, the organic and the surreal. Hovering between representation and abstraction, Hughes’ landscape evokes a whimsical, otherworldly realm via expressive, sinuous brushstrokes. The present work was the centerpiece of Berggruen Gallery’s 2018 show Shara Hughes: Sticks and Stones which included twelve large-scale canvases. Taking flowers and psychedelic garden scenes as her central subject and adopting a rich color palette, Hughes toys with surrealism and abstraction via an investigation into the genre of contemporary landscape painting, in turn interrogating the role of flowers and trees within the canon of art history.

Looking Out, 2016

Christie’s London: 13 October 2022
Estimated: GBP 250,000 – 350,000
GBP 252,000 / USD 285,843

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), Looking Out | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Looking Out, 2016
Oil, acrylic, flashe and dye on canvas
60×52 inches (152.4 x 132 cm)
Signed, titled, dedicated and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES “Looking Out” 2016, For Rusalka’

Painted to accompany the 2017 production of Antonín Dvorák’s Rusalka at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, Looking Out (2016) is a sublime, atmospheric painting by Shara Hughes. Rusalka is a tragic fairytale that echoes Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid: a water nymph, Rusalka, falls in love with a prince and must sacrifice her voice to join him in the human world. Hughes made nine paintings for the show, which she titled Lamenting, Sighing, Weeping after the first lines sung by Ježibaba, the witch who grants Rusalka her mortality. Picturing Rusalka’s view from her lake towards the human realm, Looking Out vividly captures the opera’s magic and melancholy. At the painting’s upper edge is a vista of trees and meadows, flooded with bright sunlight; at the bottom is a dark pool bounded by a rocky shore, reflecting the colours above in its rippling surface. The two worlds are separated by an aurora borealis of cascading greens, yellows, blues and pinks, which Hughes created by staining dyes directly into the canvas, recalling the techniques of Morris Louis or Helen Frankenthaler. This luminous veil divides the mortal and immortal spheres; tendrils of golden impasto drip tantalisingly down from the upper world, but the two ultimately cannot meet. The scene is framed by dark, glittering purple borders to left and right, which conjure the presence of parted stage curtains.

With its saturated, nocturnal palette and evocation of the grandeur and mystery of nature, Looking Out also parallels the work of nineteenth-century Romantic painters such as Caspar David Friedrich, who depicted dark forests, vast mountains and mighty seas overwhelming human onlookers with their power. Dvorák’s music can be understood as part of this same northern-European tradition: in Rusalka, he combined Romanticism’s emotional amplitude and emphasis on natural (and supernatural) themes with Slavic mythology and folk-music motifs from his native Bohemia. Hughes’ painting reflects the composer’s syncretic approach, assembling a spellbinding whole from myriad different sources and splendours. Its multiple framing also evokes the viewing of a theatrical performance, and the rolling over of stage-sets or screens. The canvas, like the stage, is a zone for illusion and the suspension of disbelief. Like the sunlit human realm for Rusalka, the scenes it holds are beyond our reach, stirring the wistful yearning for elsewhere that lies at the heart of the opera’s story. Aching with the poignancy of irreconcilable worlds, Looking Out also celebrates painting and performance as spaces for imaginative transcendence, where new realities—even if only for a moment—can come into being.

Sandman, 2016

Sotheby’s New-York: 30 September 2022
Estimated: USD 180,000 – 250,000
USD 226,800

Sandman | Contemporary Curated | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Sandman, 2016
Oil, acrylic, chalk and airbrush on canvas
54×48 inches (137.2 x 121.9 cm)
Signed Shara Hughes, titled Sandman and dated 2016 (on the verso)

Shara Hughes creates a mystical space in Sandman, which transports viewers into her imaginary and multi-layered world. Echoing scenes from landscapes by David Hockney or Milton Avery, Hughes goes beyond traditional painting by using a wide range of techniques and textures simultaneously, while also defying the conventional representation of space and perspective. Despite her rejection of classical structure, the present piece remains coherently organized, guiding the viewers’ gaze through swirling hills, reflective bodies of water and a luminous, Van Gogh-inspired sky. The dark framing background invite her audience to enter a surrealist-infused universe by building a bridge between interior and exterior psychological states and reality.

LEFT: DAVID HOCKNEY, MOUNT FUJI AND FLOWERS, 1972, THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
ART © 2022 DAVID HOCKNEY
RIGHT: VINCENT VAN GOGH, IRISES, 1890, VAN GOGH MUSEUM, AMSTERDAM
ART © 2022 VINCENT VAN GOGH FOUNDATION

The flower, which appears at the center of Sandman and in many of Hughes’ other works, reflects the artists’ attraction to build on motifs that exist within the canon of art history. Painted by Monet and Georgia O’Keefe, flowers have held a mythical and symbolic meaning for centuries. For Hughes, these plants stand in for people. When prompted about this in an interview, she responded, “I have often thought of the flowers and trees as figures. Sometimes, even a wave or a sun in the painting takes on a personality, so it varies depending on how the work turns out” (Shara Hughes quoted in: “Shara Hughes – Interview: ‘I wanted the works to feel like figures you would visit at a church, something divine,’” in Studio International, 17 May 2021 (online)). In Sandman, the large and somewhat menacing flower bends over the landscape like a human would. Choreographing her landscape to construct a dream-like space, the present piece serves as a quintessential example of the artist’s ongoing experimental and innovative work.

Subtle Signals, 2020

Sotheby’s London: 30 June 2022
Estimated: GBP 200,000 – 300,000
GBP 504,000 / USD 612,840

Subtle Signals | Modern & Contemporary Day Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Subtle Signals, 2020
Oil and acrylic on canvas
58 ⅛ x 50 inches (147.5 x 126.9 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2020 on the reverse

A strikingly vibrant example of Shara Hughes’ dream-like landscapes, Subtle Signals from 2020 is imbued with a sense of both the familiar and the unfamiliar. Instinctual and unstudied, Hughes’ landscapes derive purely from her imagination, rather than from an image or a remembered place, characterized by an enchanting and otherworldly quality. In Subtle Signals, the artist submerges the viewer within a forest dreamscape, nestled within the slender trees blooming in vibrant purples, greens and deep browns. The luminous vibrancy of yellow radiates warmth, melting the forest floor and treetops into a singular hazy, utopian landscape. Her deference to the monochrome in Subtle Signals exemplifies Hughes’ adept knowledge and appreciation of the history of art: in a recent interview, Hughes stated that her use of color in particular is inspired by artists ranging from Paul Gauguin to Chris Ofili.

Hughes’s deference to her predecessors is astute without being overpowering: her distinctively unique style pays homage to the great masters without becoming obsolete or mimicry. Her paintings draw inspiration from the rich saturation and dreamlike perspective of David Hockney’s landscapes, crafting fantastically vibrant snapshots of nature that are both recognizable yet illusionary. Inspired by the emotional experiences of her life, Hughes strives to recreate the ‘figurative’ form within her psychological experiences, toying with surrealism and abstraction, resulting in a canvas that captures viewers through the experience of the unknown presented through a spectacle of color.

At Full Tilt, 2018

Christie’s London: 27 June 2022
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 730,800 / USD 891,980

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
At Full Tilt, 2018
Oil and acrylic on canvas
78×66 inches (198.1 x 167.6 cm)
signed, inscribed, titled, and dated (on the reverse)

A fantastical landscape of vibrant hues, theatrical forms and freewheeling imagination, Shara Hughes’ At Full Tilt (2018) is a thrilling spectacle. A thunderous sky of crashing blues, purples and yellows bursts with electric energy: jagged brushstrokes zig-zag down from the heavens, and a fork of lightning carves through a torrential downpour of paint at the upper right. At the opposite corner, a purple cloud hovers amid a sparkling, Pointillist haze of rainbow hues. Below, a landscape unfolds between two steep mountains overlaid with translucent, staccato strokes of umber, apricot and cobalt blue. A line of bright green trees plummets towards a faraway horizon of lake or sea, its plunging perspective in tune with the work’s vertiginous title. While her painting invokes the intense palettes of Fauvism and German Expressionism, Hughes does not share her forebears’ concerns with capturing sensual or psychological experiences of real places: instead, she conjures every aspect of her landscapes from her own mind, voyaging into mental topographies of feeling and fantasy. With its dynamic contrasts, dramatic weather and vast sense of space, At Full Tilt glows with the joy of exploration.

Pleasure House, 2017

Phillips Hong-Kong: 22 June 2022
Estimated: HKD 3,000,000 – 5,000,000
HKD 6,542,000 / USD 833,407

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contempora… Lot 6 June 2022 | Phillips

Wonder Under, 2016

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 26 May 2022
Estimated: HKD 3,000,000 – 5,000,000
HKD 8,190,000 / USD 1,043,325

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981) (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Wonder Under, 2016
Oil, acrylic and dye on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed, titled, inscribed and dated ‘”Wonder Under” SHARA HUGHES 2016 NYC 68X60’ (on the reverse)

Entrancing yellow mist encircles a magnetic mountain gleaming in the center of Shara Hughes fantastical landscape titled Wonder Under (2016). On the water surface floats white shards, while ribbons of blue transpire into a milky pool. Under it, the mountain extends in endless wonder. Reminiscent of Henri Matisse’s vibrant palette and Georgia O’Keeffe’s contouring landscapes, Hughes’s canvases are explorative in color and refined in shape.

Intense shades of purple and blue densely dapple the sky while the water darkens below; Electric energy pulses through the two mountains with thick and jagged brushstrokes. Hughes’ wondrous landscapes are entirely conjured through extensive imagination, wielding sights of wonder and possibility. The constant change in nature endowed her with the creativity to subvert conventional representations of landscape and enrich them with psychological intimacy and joyous exploration. Her true self is always reflected in her work, no matter what form she shows up in to paint them. Hughes extensive oeuvre began with interiors and turned to landscapes in 2015. With her unique approach to landscape paintings, she rose to prominence after the 2017 Whitney Biennial. Since then, her work has found its place in collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Hughes’ freewheeling intuition and imagination lend its way to wild and mystical invented worlds. The artist herself once said, “Landscapes opened a whole new world for me, one that was awesome and exciting.” In a complex and fascinating marrying of emotion, observation, and intuition, Wonder Under glows with exuberance.

I am an Island, 2016

Sotheby’s New-York: 19 May 2022
Estimated: USD 250,000 – 350,000
USD 693,000

I am an Island | The Now Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
I am an Island, 2016
Oil, acrylic, spray paint and Flashe on canvas
60×52 inches (152.4 x 132.1 cm)
Signed Shara Hughes, titled I am an Island and dated 2016 (on the reverse)

Where the Sky Ends, 2018

Crooked, 2017

Phillips London: 3 March 2022
Estimated: GBP 180,000 – 250,000
GBP 627,500 / USD 835,886

Shara Hughes – 20th Century & Contempo… Lot 11 March 2022 | Phillips

Shara Hughes’ large-scale 2017 work Crooked is alive with pure color and pattern. Playing with perspective, the artist knits together fragments of multiple imagined landscapes and planes of abstract color. At the upper right corner, a lush green hill, peppered with yellow flowers, hovers vertiginously next to a winding aquamarine ribbon echoed by the looping forms of vibrant yellow and marigold spiraling out to the left of the composition. Hughes’ distinctive and confident brushwork here fractures the composition further, the rhythmic patterning of longer, isolated strokes in the passages to the left creating a fascinating dialogue with the smoother, effervescent stripes of blues and violets that flow, tightly contained, over the undulating outcrop crowned with trees to the right. The overall effect is kaleidoscopic, as though we are looking at a landscape through a sheet of rushing water.

Highly energetic and compact, this central composition is encircled by swathes of bleeding color in sunset tones and overlooked by two blue mountains, reminiscent of the deserts in the American Southwest immortalized in Georgia O’Keeffe’s New Mexico canvases. Unlike O’Keeffe though, whose paintings remain rooted in the contours and intense colors of the desert landscape, even as they hover on the edge of abstraction, Hughes’ are entirely fictitious.

Georgia O’Keeffe, Black Mesa Landscape, New Mexico / Out Back of Marie’s II, 1930, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe. Image: Albert Knapp / Alamy Stock Photo, Artwork: © 2022 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / DACS, London

Hughes paints from memory and imagination, crediting her only source material as the work of other artists. The influence of the artist’s contemporaries and predecessors is evident in places, but Hughes’ visual process is distinctly her own. Comparisons can be drawn between Crooked and David Hockney’s 1980 masterpiece Nichols Canyon for example most clearly in the vibrant palette and compositional arrangement of intersecting zones of color and strong, central curved forms. While Hockney clearly delights in pure, expressive color, he remains committed to a representational language, while for Hughes, color forms a more elemental part of her intuitive approach to the act of painting itself. Wide strokes of orange and yellow wash which bleed and drip at the extreme edges of the work are contrasted with the compact stippling in the foliage. In this way the pictorial section possesses its own distinct identity, which when united conjures a landscape brimming with joyous discordancy. Executed in the same year as Hughes’ inclusion in the 2017 Whitney Biennial, Crooked exudes the palpable exhilaration felt by the artist in what she has described as her ‘proudest achievement’.

Pink Morning, 2016

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 9 October 2021
Estimated: HKD 800,000 – 1,200,000
HKD 5,015,000 / USD 644,212

Shara Hughes 莎拉・休斯 | Pink Morning 粉紅色的早晨 | Contemporary Art Evening Sale | 2021 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Pink Morning, 2016
Oil on canvas
60×54 inches (152.5 x 137 cm)
Signed, titled and dated 2016 on the reverse

Executed in 2016, just before Shara Hughes’ breakthrough participation in the Whitney Biennial, Pink Morning is a uniquely beguiling example of the artist’s acclaimed landscape vision. Employing carefully choreographed flora as a subtle framing device, the artist sets the painting in graceful motion, prompting the viewer to peer beyond the shifting sequence of tree trunks, leaves and shadows. The fragmented view, signature of the artist’s landscapes, tilts our orientation into otherworldly horizons, only to snap us back toward the reality of the painting. In particular, Hughes’ works are distinguished by their entrancing communion of vision, nature, and psychological depth.

Weeping Willow, 2017

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 19 April 2021
Estimated: HKD 800,000 – 1,200,000
HKD 3,528,000 / USD 454,276

Shara Hughes 莎拉‧休斯 | Weeping Willow 哭泣的垂柳 | Contemporary Art Evening Sale | 2021 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Weeping Willow, 2017
Oil on canvas
68×60 inches (173×152 cm)
Signed, titled, dated 2017 and inscribed on the reverse

Executed in 2017, Weeping Willow presents an enchanting window into Shara Hughes’ uniquely beguiling landscape vision. Employing the willow trunk and its gentle pendulous branches as ingenious framing devices, the artist sets the painting in subtle graceful motion, prompting the viewer to peer beyond the shifting curtain of dipping leaves into a distant meandering vista. The fragmented view, signature of the artist’s landscapes, tilts our orientation into otherworldly horizons, only to snap us back toward the reality of the painting. In particular, Hughes’ works are distinguished by their entrancing communion of vision, nature, and psychological depth. The present piece is especially representative of this highly emotive power, with the dramatically downward willow branches being traditionally associated with inwardness and introspection.

Early Paintings

Rock Collection, 2007

China Guardian Hong-Kong: 8 October 2023
Estimated: HKD 2,200,000 – 3,200,000
HKD 2,640,000 / USD 337,100

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Rock Collection, 2007
Oil, enamel and pencil on canvas
46×50 inches (117 x 127.5 cm)
Signed, titled and dated (on the reverse)

Looking at Hughes’ early work, she uses vibrant, bright colors and multiple perspectives to create dazzling images. Rock Collection embodies this typical characteristic. With a strong surrealist atmosphere, the work creates a connection between the inside and outside by breaking down and rearranging the space. The natural environment is connected from the interior to the exterior. The wooden Romanesque semi-circular archway appears on the far left of the painting, echoing the granite wall on the right, and focusing the viewer on the center of the painting: the sea view through a floor-to-ceiling window. The sea, the sky and the beach are divided into three main colors. The contrast between the clean composition of the outdoor space and the sophisticated style of the interior is so striking that one can’t help appreciating it. The interior landscape forms a unique rhythm of shapes and colors. On the granite wall, a white irregularly shaped block is placed horizontally, which at first glance looks like a bolt of lightning. On closer inspection, the vague black straight lines give a powerful convex visual effect. In addition, the eye-catching pieces of rocks in different sizes and colors on the round table are an organic combination of lines, forming a rich texture on the smooth tabletop, like a musical note to form the ups and downs of rhythms, impacting the viewer’s vision and soul. The culture of stone appreciation has its own origins in the East and the West, and through dialogue with stones, we peep into the wonders of nature and enter into a poetic ancient fantasy. The artist also takes this opportunity to link up the historical traces of humanities and nature, and cleverly connects the three-time sequences of the past, the present, and the future.

My House Is The One With All The Holes In It, 2012

Sotheby’s New-York: 9 March 2023
Estimated: USD 220,000 – 280,000
USD 609,600

My House Is The One With All The Holes In It | Contemporary Curated | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
My House Is The One With All The Holes In It, 2012
Oil, enamel, acrylic and spray paint on canvas
72×72 inches (182.9 x 182.9 cm)
Signed Shara Hughes, titled and dated 2012 Fishers Island NY (on the reverse)
Signed Shara Hughes (on the stretcher)

In Shara Hughes’ My House is the One With All the Holes in It, 2012, the artist paints a colorful world existing midway between fiction and reality, abstraction and representation. Her ambiguous shapes create a tantalizing effect: while the image depicted by Hughes appears to be somewhat familiar at first glance, it becomes increasingly mysterious and confusing. Therefore, this work presents a true exercise in critical observation: the viewer must spend time engaging with its details and watching them evolve in order to fully appreciate its fascinating nuances.

The work’s color palette contributes to its surreal aura: the canvas is dominated by scarlet red, electric blue, and bright yellow, among other impactful hues, but they are attenuated by the substantial presence of grays and browns. Together, these two color profiles help build a setting that appears to be in suspension between fiction and reality. In addition to this contrasting color palette, the shapes that Hughes utilizes are duly familiar and foreign. The space that she depicts appears to be structured: there are horizontal and vertical lines that construct a floor and walls, alluding to the work’s title which mentions a house. Yet, the forms contained within this structured space are decidedly abstract: in the center of the piece, a sinuous yellow passage floats in mid-air, and walls are made up of freeform blocks. Hughes references the warmth and familiarity of a home, while completely imbuing this imaginary space with surreal shapes and extraordinary colors.

You Are My Sunshine, 2010

Sotheby’s London: 29 June 2022
Estimated: GBP 200,000 – 300,000
GBP 567,000 / USD 688,691

You Are My Sunshine | Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
You Are My Sunshine, 2010
Oil, acrylic, enamel, glitter, paint pen and spray paint on canvas
48×60 inches (121.7 x 152.5 cm)
Signed Shara Hughes, dated 2010, titled You Are My Sunshine, and variously inscribed (on the reverse)

Executed in 2010, You Are My Sunshine is situated at the height of Hughes’s exploration of interior spaces, a primary focus of the artist’s early oeuvre. In the present work, Hughes vacillates between the interior and exterior – situated in a liminal space that is neither entirely inside nor outside, the dock stretches out into the sea whilst also leading into a space beyond the pictorial plane. Sprinkles of sunlight melt into the cool rippling waters of the bright turquoise sea where the remnants of a summer barbeque – lawn chairs, benches, beach towels and a grill – soak under the heat of multiple suns. The deserted geometric dockyard recalls the surreal architectural landscape of Giorgio de Chirico, whilst the scattering rays of the sun echo the lyrical starlit skies of Vincent Van Gogh. Painted in a bright, electrifying color palette, the shifting perspective of the present work resembles the playful interiors of David Hockney, defining and denying certainty of space in the artist’s imaginary realm.

The fragmented view, signature of the artist’s interiors, tilts our orientation into otherworldly horizons, only to encourage the viewer back to the reality of the painting. On the surface of the present work, Hughes works with a wide range of medium to form double rainbows, blazing sunlight and spatially ambiguous walls, reflecting her intuitive working process. The paintings contain psychological complexity, bringing to life a world that is elegantly chaotic — infused with a vibrant harmony of the organic, the subjective, and the surreal.

You Spell Me, 2010

Christie’s London: 1 March 2022
Estimated: GBP 150,000 – 200,000
GBP 478,800 / USD 637,634

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), You Spell Me | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
You Spell Me, 2010
Oil, acrylic, spray paint, metallic paint, oil pastel, enamel, glitter and sequins on canvas.
50×56 inches (127 x 142.7 cm)
Signed ‘SHARA HUGHES’ (lower right)
Signed, titled, inscribed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES ‘YOU SPELL ME’ 2010 GEORGIA’ (on the reverse)

A vivid dreamscape set in a magical realm, You Spell Me is a vibrant early work by Shara Hughes. Executed in 2010, it exemplifies the complex, playful interior scenes which occupied her between 2006 and 2014, and which ultimately propelled her to international acclaim. From a rich concoction of oil, acrylic, enamel, oil pastel and spray paint, Hughes conjures a mysterious chamber. At one end stands a blazing red brick wall; below, a psychedelic neon floor beams outwards to a seemingly weightless expanse of speckled midnight blue. Strange otherworldly objects bedeck the table and bookshelves; a sequined cauldron bubbles and a glittering fire crackles, while an audience of toy-like characters surveys the scene from the top of a ladder. On the left-hand wall hangs Hans Holbein the Younger’s The Ambassadors (1533), angled so that the famous hidden skull at the centre resolves into full view. This art-historical apparition—a rare explicit reference within Hughes’ oeuvre—seems to allegorise the magical illusory forces at work in her canvas, where a wand still glows brightly upon the table. It is a thrilling testament to the sorcery of art-making, and an insight into her internal world.

While Hughes has occasionally referenced specific artworks in her canvases—Rubens’s The Massacre of the Innocents (circa 1611-1612), for example, in her 2009 painting La La Land—the present work’s invocation of Holbein stands out for its apparent metaphorical function. Its miraculous trompe l’oeil seems to speak directly to the processes at work in Hughes’ painting, where spells, potions, rituals and incantations generate a world of illusion. The work’s central motif is echoed by the Picasso-like skull that sits in a jar upon the shelf, while its sense of shifting resolution is played out upon Hughes’ swirling multicolored floor: the artist has described how at certain times of day, she would lay on her back in her studio and watch the rainbow patterns cast by a prism she kept by the window. Other art-historical invocations abound: from the brick wall, reminiscent of Philip Guston, to the perspectival play and vibrant palette that call to mind David Hockney’s domestic scenes. In this context, the scene is less a magician’s lair than an artist’s studio: the gleaming wand, similarly, becomes a paintbrush. It is a vivid portrait of art’s power to extend the limits of our imagination, and to reveal the wonderment within the objects and spaces of our everyday lives.

Other Paintings

No Way Out, 2023

Christie’s New-York: 14 May 2024
Estimated: USD 400,000 – 600,000
USD 567,000

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981), No Way Out | Christie’s (christies.com)

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
No Way Out, 2023
Oil and acrylic on canvas
68×60 inches (172.7 x 152.4 cm)
Signed, titled, and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES 2023 “NO WAY OUT”‘ (on the reverse)
Signed again ‘Shara’ (on the stretcher)

A leading figure among a new generation of figurative painters, Shara Hughes’ depicts the world even as her landscapes border on abstraction. In warm tones, the artist has captured a rocky expanse that fills the life-sized No Way Out. In the foreground bloom verdant trees, each leaf a glossy green. The day is warm, the light heavy with summer’s heat. Above, the sky shimmers. Thick, expressive brushwork combines with staccato, confetti stippling, and the whole painting is tactile, sensual.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Hughes received her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, before studying at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. She rose to acclaim for a series of contemplative domestic scenes – moody, charged rooms that underscored her interests in art history. Eventually, seeking to eliminate the symbolism and narrative that infused her work, however, Hughes turned to the landscape, a genre she initially believed to be more “open-ended” and “so seemingly simple.” That the genre was weighted with an entire history of associations also appealed to the artist, and Huges hoped that she would be able to take in the traditions while simultaneously making the landscape her own. Accordingly, Hughes shifted her gaze towards the external world, producing vivid vistas of rocky outcroppings and lush greenery that recall post-Impressionist canvases. Indeed, these paintings have been likened to Gustav Klimt’s plein air decorative depictions—an apt comparison particularly in the patterning of the sky in the present work—and Henri Matisse’s Fauvist landscapes. Certainly, the geometry of No Way Out recalls that of Paul Cezanne’s lengthy meditations on the environment surrounding Aix-en-Provence. Like Cezanne, Hughes, too, has employed flat blocks of color to build up the mountainous terrain. Unlike her modernist predecessor, however, Hughes does not set up her easel outside, and she has no interest in capturing a specific site.

“I don’t paint from life at all, ever. My works are more about painting than about nature or something in the real world. They always start from playing around with color and shape and texture. The landscape becomes an access point for the viewer, a lot of times.” 

Georgia O’Keeffe, Red Hills and Bones, 1941. Philadelphia Museum of Art. © 2024 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Philadelphia Museum of Art / The Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949 / Bridgeman Images.

Although of the colors of No Way Out may be Matisse-esque, they have been refracted through the postwar era, channeling the canvases of David Hockney and Helen Frankenthaler alike. Indeed, Hughes purposefully and adeptly draws attention to chromatic relationships. Balance, tone, and hue are all key considerations for the artist in conjuring an atmosphere, a temperament. This is further emphasized by the title of the present work, and No Way Out seems to suggest a hermetically sealed experience. Yet far from airless, this is Edenic land, and in rich brushwork, Hughes has captured the bliss and beauty of the natural world.

Works on Paper

2025 Auction Results

7 lots sold at auction in 2025 for a total turnover of USD 95,515. With 1 lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 88%. The highest price of 2025 was achieved by Drawing for Loft, a drawing dated 2007, that sold at Sotheby’s, in New-York, on 1 October 2025, for USD 24,130. The average price for 2025 is USD 13,645.

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#1. Drawing for Loft, 2007

Sotheby’s New-York: 1 October 2025
Estimated: USD 12,000 – 18,000
USD 24,130
WORK ON PAPER

Drawing for Loft | Contemporary Discoveries | 2025 | Sotheby’s

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Drawing for Loft, 2007
Acrylic, enamel, oil pastel, marker and graphite on paper
30 1/8 x 22 1/8 inches (76.5 x 56.2 cm)
Signed and dated ‘07 (lower right)

#2. Bright and Positive, 2020

Phillips New-York: 11 March 2025
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 22,860
WORK ON PAPER

Shara Hughes – Modern & Contemporar… Lot 44 February 2025 | Phillips

#3. Standing Straight, 2020

Phillips online: 11 December 2025
Estimated: HKD 80,000 – 120,000
HKD 103,200 / USD 13,250
WORK ON PAPER

Shara Hughes Modern & Contemporary Art: Online Auction, Hong Kong

SHARA HUGHES
Standing Straight, 2020
Mixed media on paper
14 7/8 x 11 inches (38×28 cm)
Signed, titled, inscribed and dated
‘”Standing Straight” SHARA HUGHES 2020 NYC’
on the reverse

#5. Untitled, 2008

Sotheby’s London: 24 January 2025
Estimated: GBP 6,000 – 8,000
GBP 7,800 / USD 9,635
WORK ON PAPER

Untitled | Contemporary Discoveries | 2025 | Sotheby’s

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Untitled, 2008
Mixed media on paper
11 1/8 x 20 3/4 inches (28×38 cm)
Signed and dated 2008 (lower right)

#6. Balcony, 2008

Phillips online: 13 March 2025
Estimated: GBP 5,000 – 7,000
GBP 6,096 / USD 7,755
WORK ON PAPER

Shara Hughes Modern & Contemporary Art: Online Auction, London

SHARA HUGHES
Balcony, 2008
Gouache, pen, crayon and pencil on paper
15 1/8 x 11 inches (38.5 x 28 cm)
Signed and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES 2008’ upper right
Signed, titled and dated ‘SHARA HUGHES Jan 2008 “Balcony”‘ on the reverse

#7. Shade Trees, 2020

Phillips Hong-Kong: 28 September 2025
Estimated: HKD 60,000 – 80,000
HKD 51,600 / USD 6,635
WORK ON PAPER

Shara Hughes Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale

2024 Auction Results

7 lots sold at auction in 2024 for a total turnover of USD 134,365. With 3 lots failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 70%. The highest price for 2024 was achieved by Winter Blues, a drawing dated 2016, that sold at K Auction, in Seoul, on 21 February 2024, for KRW 46,200,000 (USD 34,500). The average price for 2024 is USD 19,195.

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#1. Winter Blues, 2016

K Auction Seoul: 21 February 2024
Estimated: KRW 40,000,000 – 60,000,000
KRW 46,200,000 / USD 34,500
WORK ON PAPER

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Winter Blues, 2016
Crayon and marker on paper
15×11 inches (38×28 cm)
Signed, titled and dated on the reverse

#2. How To See a Tree, 2016

K Auction Seoul: 13 April 2024
Estimated: KRW 40,000,000 – 60,000,000
KRW 40,250,000 / USD 29,180
WORK ON PAPER

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
How To See a Tree, 2016
Crayon and marker on paper
15×11 inches (38×28 cm)
Signed, titled and dated on the reverse

#3. Little Dances, 2020

Phillips New-York: 15 May 2024
Estimated: USD 12,000 – 18,000
USD 20,320
WORK ON PAPER

https://www.phillips.com/detail/shara-hughes/NY010524/420

#4. Meeting Room / Red Room Green Lamp, 2008

Sotheby’s London: 2 August 2024
Estimated: GBP 10,000 – 15,000
GBP 13,200 / USD 16,795
WORK ON PAPER

i: Meeting Room ii: Red Room Green Lamp | Contemporary Discoveries | 2024 | Sotheby’s

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
(i) Meeting Room / (ii) Red Room Green Lamp, 2008
Each: mixed media on paper
Each: 11 3/8 x 15 inches (29×38 cm)
Each signed and dated 2008 

#5. Lounge, 2007

Sotheby’s New-York: 12 December 2024
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 20,000
USD 13,200
WORK ON PAPER

Lounge | Between Thought and Expression: Works from the Collection of A.G. Rosen, Part II | 2024 | Sotheby’s

SHARA HUGHES (b. 1981)
Lounge, 2007
Gouache, oil, crayon, marker, pastel, glitter, ink and graphite on paper
22 1/8 x 29 7/8 inches (56.2 x 75.9 cm)
Signed and dated ’07 (lower right)

#6. From Spring to Fall, 2016

Christie’s New-York: 17 July 2024
Estimated: USD 8,000 – 12,000
USD 10,710
WORK ON PAPER

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
From Spring to Fall, 2016
Crayon and pastel on paper
15 x 11 3/8 inches (38.1 x 28.9 cm)
Signed, titled and dated
‘”From Spring to Fall” SHARA HUGHES 2016’
On the reverse

#7. Untitled, 2007

Christie’s online: 2 April 2024
Estimated: HKD 60,000 – 80,000
HKD 75,600 / USD 9,660
WORK ON PAPER

https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/20th-21st-century-art-online/shara-hughes-b-1981-28/217938

SHARA HUGHES (B. 1981)
Untitled, 2007
Mixed media on paper
13 3/4 x 9 7/8 inches (35×25 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Shara Hughes 2007’ (lower right)