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The Floating City by Patrick Hughes
Patrick Hughes
b. 1939 | British
The Floating City
Oil and collage on panel
Signed, titled, editioned and dated “The Floating City / 2/5 / Patrick Hughes / 2026” (en verso)
Part painting, part collage and part sculptural object, The Floating City belongs to Patrick Hughes’ celebrated “reverspective” series, in which built three-dimensional forms are painted in inverse perspective to create an animated experience as the viewer moves. This example, the second in a limited edition of five plus two artist’s proofs, presents a rare opportunity to engage with one of Hughes’ most compelling explorations of perception and architectural fantasy.
The composition evokes a dreamlike view of Venice, where the city appears to float between reality and illusion. The palazzi in the foreground are constructed from collaged photographic elements, lending a grounded sense of architectural specificity, while the lagoon, sky, reflections and distant buildings are hand-painted, dissolving into atmospheric abstraction. As the viewer shifts position, the geometric structures appear to pivot and reconfigure, heightening the sense of movement across water and stone. Subtle variations in the hand-painted passages ensure that each work in the edition is one-of-a-kind.
Hughes first developed his revolutionary approach to reverse perspective in 1964 with his installation Sticking-Out Room at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, initiating decades of inquiry into perception, paradox and spatial cognition. He has since authored multiple texts on visual illusion and perceptual psychology and holds a doctorate in science from King’s College London. His work is held in major institutional collections, including the British Library and the British Academy, underscoring his significance as both artist and theorist of visual perception.
Dated 2026
Panel: 17 3/4" high x 27 1/8" wide (45.1 x 68.9 cm)
Frame: 25" high x 34 1/4" wide x 5 1/4" deep (63.5 x 87 x 13.3 cm)
b. 1939 | British
The Floating City
Oil and collage on panel
Signed, titled, editioned and dated “The Floating City / 2/5 / Patrick Hughes / 2026” (en verso)
Part painting, part collage and part sculptural object, The Floating City belongs to Patrick Hughes’ celebrated “reverspective” series, in which built three-dimensional forms are painted in inverse perspective to create an animated experience as the viewer moves. This example, the second in a limited edition of five plus two artist’s proofs, presents a rare opportunity to engage with one of Hughes’ most compelling explorations of perception and architectural fantasy.
The composition evokes a dreamlike view of Venice, where the city appears to float between reality and illusion. The palazzi in the foreground are constructed from collaged photographic elements, lending a grounded sense of architectural specificity, while the lagoon, sky, reflections and distant buildings are hand-painted, dissolving into atmospheric abstraction. As the viewer shifts position, the geometric structures appear to pivot and reconfigure, heightening the sense of movement across water and stone. Subtle variations in the hand-painted passages ensure that each work in the edition is one-of-a-kind.
Hughes first developed his revolutionary approach to reverse perspective in 1964 with his installation Sticking-Out Room at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, initiating decades of inquiry into perception, paradox and spatial cognition. He has since authored multiple texts on visual illusion and perceptual psychology and holds a doctorate in science from King’s College London. His work is held in major institutional collections, including the British Library and the British Academy, underscoring his significance as both artist and theorist of visual perception.
Dated 2026
Panel: 17 3/4" high x 27 1/8" wide (45.1 x 68.9 cm)
Frame: 25" high x 34 1/4" wide x 5 1/4" deep (63.5 x 87 x 13.3 cm)
$19,075.00
Original: $54,500.00
-65%The Floating City by Patrick Hughes—
$54,500.00
$19,075.00More Images
The Floating City by Patrick Hughes
Patrick Hughes
b. 1939 | British
The Floating City
Oil and collage on panel
Signed, titled, editioned and dated “The Floating City / 2/5 / Patrick Hughes / 2026” (en verso)
Part painting, part collage and part sculptural object, The Floating City belongs to Patrick Hughes’ celebrated “reverspective” series, in which built three-dimensional forms are painted in inverse perspective to create an animated experience as the viewer moves. This example, the second in a limited edition of five plus two artist’s proofs, presents a rare opportunity to engage with one of Hughes’ most compelling explorations of perception and architectural fantasy.
The composition evokes a dreamlike view of Venice, where the city appears to float between reality and illusion. The palazzi in the foreground are constructed from collaged photographic elements, lending a grounded sense of architectural specificity, while the lagoon, sky, reflections and distant buildings are hand-painted, dissolving into atmospheric abstraction. As the viewer shifts position, the geometric structures appear to pivot and reconfigure, heightening the sense of movement across water and stone. Subtle variations in the hand-painted passages ensure that each work in the edition is one-of-a-kind.
Hughes first developed his revolutionary approach to reverse perspective in 1964 with his installation Sticking-Out Room at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, initiating decades of inquiry into perception, paradox and spatial cognition. He has since authored multiple texts on visual illusion and perceptual psychology and holds a doctorate in science from King’s College London. His work is held in major institutional collections, including the British Library and the British Academy, underscoring his significance as both artist and theorist of visual perception.
Dated 2026
Panel: 17 3/4" high x 27 1/8" wide (45.1 x 68.9 cm)
Frame: 25" high x 34 1/4" wide x 5 1/4" deep (63.5 x 87 x 13.3 cm)
b. 1939 | British
The Floating City
Oil and collage on panel
Signed, titled, editioned and dated “The Floating City / 2/5 / Patrick Hughes / 2026” (en verso)
Part painting, part collage and part sculptural object, The Floating City belongs to Patrick Hughes’ celebrated “reverspective” series, in which built three-dimensional forms are painted in inverse perspective to create an animated experience as the viewer moves. This example, the second in a limited edition of five plus two artist’s proofs, presents a rare opportunity to engage with one of Hughes’ most compelling explorations of perception and architectural fantasy.
The composition evokes a dreamlike view of Venice, where the city appears to float between reality and illusion. The palazzi in the foreground are constructed from collaged photographic elements, lending a grounded sense of architectural specificity, while the lagoon, sky, reflections and distant buildings are hand-painted, dissolving into atmospheric abstraction. As the viewer shifts position, the geometric structures appear to pivot and reconfigure, heightening the sense of movement across water and stone. Subtle variations in the hand-painted passages ensure that each work in the edition is one-of-a-kind.
Hughes first developed his revolutionary approach to reverse perspective in 1964 with his installation Sticking-Out Room at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, initiating decades of inquiry into perception, paradox and spatial cognition. He has since authored multiple texts on visual illusion and perceptual psychology and holds a doctorate in science from King’s College London. His work is held in major institutional collections, including the British Library and the British Academy, underscoring his significance as both artist and theorist of visual perception.
Dated 2026
Panel: 17 3/4" high x 27 1/8" wide (45.1 x 68.9 cm)
Frame: 25" high x 34 1/4" wide x 5 1/4" deep (63.5 x 87 x 13.3 cm)
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Patrick Hughes
b. 1939 | British
The Floating City
Oil and collage on panel
Signed, titled, editioned and dated “The Floating City / 2/5 / Patrick Hughes / 2026” (en verso)
Part painting, part collage and part sculptural object, The Floating City belongs to Patrick Hughes’ celebrated “reverspective” series, in which built three-dimensional forms are painted in inverse perspective to create an animated experience as the viewer moves. This example, the second in a limited edition of five plus two artist’s proofs, presents a rare opportunity to engage with one of Hughes’ most compelling explorations of perception and architectural fantasy.
The composition evokes a dreamlike view of Venice, where the city appears to float between reality and illusion. The palazzi in the foreground are constructed from collaged photographic elements, lending a grounded sense of architectural specificity, while the lagoon, sky, reflections and distant buildings are hand-painted, dissolving into atmospheric abstraction. As the viewer shifts position, the geometric structures appear to pivot and reconfigure, heightening the sense of movement across water and stone. Subtle variations in the hand-painted passages ensure that each work in the edition is one-of-a-kind.
Hughes first developed his revolutionary approach to reverse perspective in 1964 with his installation Sticking-Out Room at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, initiating decades of inquiry into perception, paradox and spatial cognition. He has since authored multiple texts on visual illusion and perceptual psychology and holds a doctorate in science from King’s College London. His work is held in major institutional collections, including the British Library and the British Academy, underscoring his significance as both artist and theorist of visual perception.
Dated 2026
Panel: 17 3/4" high x 27 1/8" wide (45.1 x 68.9 cm)
Frame: 25" high x 34 1/4" wide x 5 1/4" deep (63.5 x 87 x 13.3 cm)
b. 1939 | British
The Floating City
Oil and collage on panel
Signed, titled, editioned and dated “The Floating City / 2/5 / Patrick Hughes / 2026” (en verso)
Part painting, part collage and part sculptural object, The Floating City belongs to Patrick Hughes’ celebrated “reverspective” series, in which built three-dimensional forms are painted in inverse perspective to create an animated experience as the viewer moves. This example, the second in a limited edition of five plus two artist’s proofs, presents a rare opportunity to engage with one of Hughes’ most compelling explorations of perception and architectural fantasy.
The composition evokes a dreamlike view of Venice, where the city appears to float between reality and illusion. The palazzi in the foreground are constructed from collaged photographic elements, lending a grounded sense of architectural specificity, while the lagoon, sky, reflections and distant buildings are hand-painted, dissolving into atmospheric abstraction. As the viewer shifts position, the geometric structures appear to pivot and reconfigure, heightening the sense of movement across water and stone. Subtle variations in the hand-painted passages ensure that each work in the edition is one-of-a-kind.
Hughes first developed his revolutionary approach to reverse perspective in 1964 with his installation Sticking-Out Room at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, initiating decades of inquiry into perception, paradox and spatial cognition. He has since authored multiple texts on visual illusion and perceptual psychology and holds a doctorate in science from King’s College London. His work is held in major institutional collections, including the British Library and the British Academy, underscoring his significance as both artist and theorist of visual perception.
Dated 2026
Panel: 17 3/4" high x 27 1/8" wide (45.1 x 68.9 cm)
Frame: 25" high x 34 1/4" wide x 5 1/4" deep (63.5 x 87 x 13.3 cm)
