Robert Hughes, the Australian art critic best known for his bestselling history of Australia, "The Fatal Shore," and his documentary, "The Shock of the New," has died at the age of 74.
Hughes was often called the "most influential art critic" of his generation—a position he jestingly likened to being called the "the most influential bee-keeper" in a 1997 interview with "60 minutes."
A statement from his wife, Doris Downes Hughes, released today said she was with her husband when he passed away peacefully at the Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, New York early this morning.
"Bob was a true public intellectual. He genuinely wanted to share his passion and knowledge with ordinary people. He was elitist when it came to evaluating art but he was absolutely egalitarian when it came to communicating why certain works mattered," added his wife.
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