Amputation, c.1996-98

Glasgow-born Ian Hughes graduated from Dundee College of Art in 1980, and after various travelling scholarships and awards, settled in Edinburgh. Throughout his career his practice examined mental health issues, drawn from his experience as a psychiatric nurse. His deep empathy with the human condition is laid bare in his work. His paintings often take the form of self portraits, and his practice is immersed in realism. He had major exhibitions at the Scottish National Gallery, and in Rostov-on-the-Don. In 1986, Hughes and his friend Philip Braham showed together at Main Fine Art, Glasgow in Double Vision. The two artists had objected to the lack of Scottish art in the festival programme, and decided to stir things up by hanging their pictures on the railings of Edinburgh’s Royal Scottish Academy. Consequently, The Vigorous Imagination took place in 1987, surveying the rich diversity of contemporary Scottish artists. In 1989, The Scottish National Gallery held a solo exhibition of Hughes’ work. His work is represented in the National Galleries of Scotland; The Whitworth, Manchester; Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh; Tate Modern, London; and The Fleming Collection, London.