Robert Hughes (1938-2012) was an internationally renowned Australian writer, art critic, and documentarian. Moving to New York in 1970, he became the art critic for *TIME* magazine, a position he held for over thirty years, establishing himself as one of the most authoritative voices in the field. His most celebrated work is *The Shock of the New* (1980), an influential BBC television series and book that analyzes the development of modern art in an accessible and incisive manner. His other major works include *The Fatal Shore* (1987), an epic history of Australia's founding as a penal colony; *American Visions* (1997), on American art; and the monumental biography *Goya* (2003). With an erudite, direct, and often polemical style, Hughes won numerous awards for his literary and television work, including several Emmy Awards for his documentaries, consolidating his reputation as a sharp and uncompromising critic.