Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10

Manuel Hughes
Trompe Loeil Can Painting titled "Shelf Life"

c. Late 1970s

$5,000
£3,801.07
€4,437.10
CA$7,020.34
A$7,964.73
CHF 4,170.61
MX$98,263.41
NOK 51,714.66
SEK 49,481.01
DKK 33,096.58
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

This dynamic trompe l’oeil still life by Manuel Hughes, painted in the late 1970s, is a striking example of the artist’s ability to transform everyday Americana into a rich visual experience. A major African American painter known for his life like detail and spectacular composition, Hughes showcases a lineup of familiar vintage containers: True Blue, Bovil, Del Monte Coffee, arranged with a deliberate eye for balance, color, and nostalgia. Below them, a bold Phillies advertisement reads “5¢” and adds a pop of graphic flair. Hughes masterfully captures the worn textures and aged patinas of the labels, using oil paint to mimic the look of real metal and paper with astonishing accuracy. The work is both signed in script on one of the cans and thumbprinted in pigment at the base, marking it as a personal and fully realized composition. Hughes’s paintings celebrate the visual language of American consumer culture while honoring the traditions of illusionism and still life. His ability to render surface detail with such sensitivity places him among the foremost realist painters of his time, and this piece stands as a testament to both his technical skill and his artistic voice.
  • Creator:
    Manuel Hughes (1938, American)
  • Creation Year:
    c. Late 1970s
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 10 in (25.4 cm)Width: 10 in (25.4 cm)
  • Medium:
    Canvas,Oil
  • Period:
    Late 20th Century
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Fredericksburg, VA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2574216522312

More From This Seller

View All
Printniere (Springtime)
By André Robert
Located in Fredericksburg, VA
A radiant ode to renewal and rebirth, Printnière (Springtime) by André Robert captures the essence of the season in a luminous bouquet. Bursting with vibrant reds, soft pinks, golden...
Category

Mid-20th Century Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Printniere (Springtime)

André Robert
Printniere (Springtime), c. 1960s

$4,200
Nautical Still Life
Located in Fredericksburg, VA
Robert Chiailloux's "Nautical Still Life" masterfully captures the essence of maritime history and exploration. The composition is a perfect blend of elements that evoke the spirit o...
Category

Mid-20th Century Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nautical Still Life

Robert Chiailloux
Nautical Still Life, c. 1950s

$5,800
Oil Flower Still Life of Morning Glories
By Sarah E. Davis
Located in Fredericksburg, VA
During her lifetime, Davis was best known for her exquisitely-painted floral still lifes, which she exhibited to much acclaim in New York from the mid-1870s to the mid-1880s. As an a...
Category

Mid-19th Century Hudson River School Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Oil Flower Still Life of Morning Glories

Sarah E. Davis
Oil Flower Still Life of Morning Glories, c. Late 1860s

$14,500
Oil Still Life of Apples
By George Harvey
Located in Fredericksburg, VA
George Harvey was born in 1800 in Tottenham, England but moved to the United states at 20 years old and spent several years in the west before he established himself in New York City...
Category

Mid-19th Century Hudson River School Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Oil Still Life of Apples

George Harvey
Oil Still Life of Apples, c. 1860

$4,500
Fruit Still Life
Located in Fredericksburg, VA
Edward L. Custer (1837–1881) was an American painter known for his landscape paintings, genre scenes, and still lifes often imbued with a romantic and idyllic quality. Custer's paint...
Category

Late 19th Century Hudson River School Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Fruit Still Life

Edward L. Custer
Fruit Still Life, 1869

$4,500
Fruit Still Life titled "The Wine Taster's Table"
By John F. Francis
Located in Fredericksburg, VA
"The Wine Taster's Table" by John F. Francis is a quintessential example of his mastery in still life painting, showcasing his meticulous attention to detail and vibrant use of color...
Category

Mid-19th Century Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Fruit Still Life titled "The Wine Taster's Table"

John F. Francis
Fruit Still Life titled "The Wine Taster's Table", c. 1850

$65,000

You May Also Like

"Nature Morte à la table blau(?)" / Still Life at the (?) Table
By Guy Bardone
Located in Berlin, MD
Guy Bardone (1927 - 2015, French) "Nature Morte à la Table Blau (?)" / Still Life at the (?) Table. Oil on canvas with a lovely frame surrounding. The picture in greens and browns...
Category

Mid-20th Century French School Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Nature Morte à la table blau(?)" / Still Life at the (?) Table

Guy Bardone
"Nature Morte à la table blau(?)" / Still Life at the (?) Table, 1957/58

$9,960
Bouquet de Fleurs - In the Dutch Tradition, Still Life Floral Arrangement
Located in London, GB
Bouquet de Fleurs Pieter Wagemans Oil on Canvas Signed 'P Wagemans' (lower right) 74 x 60 cms / 29¼ x 23½ inches In Bouquet de Fleurs, Pieter Wagemans masterfully revives the Dutch ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Dutch School Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Bouquet de Fleurs - In the Dutch Tradition, Still Life Floral Arrangement

Pieter Wagemans
Bouquet de Fleurs - In the Dutch Tradition, Still Life Floral Arrangement

$14,978
Still Life with Flowers
By Arthur Beecher Carles
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
Provenance Mr. and Mrs. Miles Valentine; Estate of above; Sale, Christie’s, New York, New York, June 13, 2001, lot 206, from above; John Davis collection, Falls Church, Virginia; Sal...
Category

Early 20th Century American Modern Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Still Life with Flowers

Arthur Beecher Carles
Still Life with Flowers

$29,000
French school - late 19th century - Still life with pomegranates
Located in PARIS, FR
French school, late 19th century Still life with pomegranates Oil on canvas 32.6 x 45.5 cm (45.7 x 54 cm with frame) Good condition, little accidents on the frame
Category

19th Century Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French school - late 19th century - Still life with pomegranates

French school - late 19th century - Still life with pomegranates

$1,504
[Studies in Fragility] – Oil on Canvas Still Life by Paul Gorka, circa 1965
By Paul Gorka
Located in Miami, FL
PAUL GORKA – UNTITLED [STUDIES IN FRAGILITY] Oil on Canvas ⚜ Signed Lower Right ⚜ Custom Conservation Frame A COMPLEX, SYMBOLIC STILL LIFE OF MIDCENTURY AMERICAN INTROSPECTION Untit...
Category

1960s American Realist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

[Studies in Fragility] – Oil on Canvas Still Life by Paul Gorka, circa 1965

Paul Gorka
[Studies in Fragility] – Oil on Canvas Still Life by Paul Gorka, circa 1965, circa 1965

$7,500 Sale Price
25% Off
Charles Levier “La Nappe” Signed Oil on Canvas Still Life with Melon c. 1965
By Charles Levier
Located in Miami, FL
CHARLES LEVIER – “LA NAPPE” Oil on Canvas ⚜ Signed Lower Right & Verso ⚜ Custom Conservation Frame A BRIGHTLY STAGED MIDCENTURY STILL LIFE BURSTING WITH COLOR & FORM “La Nappe” is a...
Category

1960s Post-Impressionist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Charles Levier “La Nappe” Signed Oil on Canvas Still Life with Melon c. 1965

Charles Levier
Charles Levier “La Nappe” Signed Oil on Canvas Still Life with Melon c. 1965, circa 1965

$7,000 Sale Price
30% Off