Skip to main content

Robert Riggs Paintings

American, 1896-1970

Known for his scenes of prize-fighting and circus-genre, Robert Riggs had a highly successful career as an artist, especially in the ‘30s and ‘40s. His painting, The Brown Bomber, showed the boxing victory of Joe Louis over Max Schmeling. This is one of the paintings that earned Riggs election to the National Academy of Design in 1946. He was born in Decatur, Illinois, and as a young man ran away from home and joined the circus. He studied at the James Milliken University in Illinois and then trained at the Art Students League in New York, but his study was interrupted by Army service in the First World War. He attended the Académie Julian in Paris and then returned to the United States where he settled in Philadelphia and worked for N. W. Ayer & Sons, an advertising agency for whom he did numerous illustrations.

to
2
5
6
3
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
15
1
9
3
9
4
2
15
9
5
4
3
3
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
12
6
6
2
1
22
787
690
652
584
2
15
Artist: Robert Riggs
George Washington Marine Procession New York Presidential Inauguration, Life Mag
By Robert Riggs
Located in Miami, FL
"The Great Man Comes to Take His Oath" Life Magazine Spread, July 4th, 1960, This epic narrative depicts the celebration of George Washington's inauguration, en route to Federal Hall...
Category

1930s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Burr - Hamilton Duel
By Robert Riggs
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil Painting Signature: Signed Lower Right
Category

20th Century Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Oil

Tribesmen with Headdresses - Gay Artist
By Robert Riggs
Located in Miami, FL
"Riggs openly identified as gay to his friends in the Philadelphia art community, but did not disclose his orientation to his employers." - Woodmere Art Museum Tempera mixed with gum arabic and alcohol on Renaissance Panel "Robert Riggs was awarded the Gold Medal for Excellence by the New York Art Directors Club for ten consecutive years and received many additional awards." He was elected to the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame. His work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts and the U.S. Library of Congress. Riggs's compositons are "monumental" Walt Reed Riggs was a Gay Artist...
Category

1940s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Tempera

Indian sacrificial ceremony - Aztec Human Sacrifice
By Robert Riggs
Located in Miami, FL
The sacrificial ceremony, Freemans The Collection of Philip Desind Signed Three times Riggs l.r. A powerful account of moments a tribe member is cut open and the heart is handed over to a young brave, There is a reason why there are few contemporary painters who can paint a portrait this good. It's hard to do. It's easy to throw some paint or spray a mess of graffiti on canvas. That's easy. To execute a portrait with a great depth of anatomy and structure takes years of academic training. In Riggs's time there were teachers who knew how to pass on this knowledge. He studied at the Art Students League and the Académie Julian . Today, they are very few and far between. - Robert Riggs was a Gay Artist...
Category

1950s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Grizzly Adams, Grizzly bear attacks Frontiersman
By Robert Riggs
Located in Miami, FL
There is a reason why there are few contemporary painters who can paint a portrait of a man and bear this good. It's hard to do. It's easy to throw some paint or spray a mess of graf...
Category

1950s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Graphite

Young girl Redhead Holding her father's hand Illustration
By Robert Riggs
Located in Miami, FL
There is a reason why there are few contemporary painters who can paint a portrait this good. It's hard to do. It's easy to throw some paint or spray a mess of graffiti on canvas. ...
Category

1940s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Oil

Tribesmen with Headdresses - Photo Realism
By Robert Riggs
Located in Miami, FL
Tempera mixed with gum arabic and alcohol on Renaissance Panel "Robert Riggs was awarded the Gold Medal for Excellence by the New York Art Directors Club for ten consecutive years and received many additional awards." He was elected to the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame. His work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts and the U.S. Library of Congress. Riggs's compositons are "monumental" Walt Reed Riggs was a Gay Artist...
Category

1940s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Tempera

Tribesmen with Headdresses
By Robert Riggs
Located in Miami, FL
Tempera mixed with gum arabic and alcohol on Renaissance Panel "Robert Riggs was awarded the Gold Medal for Excellence by the New York Art Directors Club for ten consecutive years and received many additional awards." He was elected to the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame. His work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts and the U.S. Library of Congress. Riggs's compositons are "monumental" Walt Reed Riggs was a Gay Artist...
Category

1940s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Tempera

Indian Ritual Walking on Fire, Firewalking Ceremony, Mythology and Religion
By Robert Riggs
Located in Miami, FL
Narrative artist Robert Riggs captures a highly-charged scene of an Indian firewalking ceremony. Firewalking is part of a religious ritual and is associated with the mystical powers...
Category

1950s Academic Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Varnish, Pigment

Young girl Redhead Holding her father's hand
By Robert Riggs
Located in Miami, FL
There is a reason why there are few contemporary painters who can paint a portrait this good. It's hard to do. It's easy to throw some paint or spray a mess of graffiti on canvas. That's easy art. Executing a portrait with a great depth of anatomy and structure takes years of academic training. In Riggs's time, there were teachers who knew how to pass on this knowledge. He studied at the Art Students League and the Académie Julian . Today, they are very few and far between. Tempera mixed with gum arabic and alcohol on Renaissance Panel - Robert Riggs was a Gay Artist...
Category

1940s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Oil

Prospector firing Rifle ( Happiness is a Warm Gun ) Gay Art
By Robert Riggs
Located in Miami, FL
Tempera mixed with gum arabic and alcohol on Renaissance Panel Robert Riggs was a gay man. Being gay in American during the 1940's time was something not to flaunt in public. Rigg's had to communicate his underlying feelings in more symbolic ways. Throughout Riggs oeuvre, one sees continuous references to strong hunked out manly men and vulnerable boys. It is a core element of is iconography and is described in a powerful graphic style. In “Prospector firing Rifle” is a Dick Pic. Riggs is clearly making a sexual statement about the moment of climax. The long, straight rifle explodes and is captured at the peak moment of climax. Meanwhile, the bag two bags of gold clearly resemble the other part of the male anatomy. Riggs was a thoughtful and meticulous visual thinker and nothing in any of Riggs’s compositions were haphazardly placed. In tribute to the artist’s suppressed feelings, I have given this work a second title “Happiness is a Warm Gun...
Category

1940s Academic Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Tempera

Mongols
By Robert Riggs
Located in Miami, FL
Tempera mixed with gum arabic and alcohol on Renaissance Panel There is from frame burn and scattered surface abrasions but they are minor. Additionally, there are a 3 or 4 very fine hair line scratches not visible unless you look very closely. The work is varnished and has a reflective quality to it that makes it hard to photograph. In person the viewing experience is much better. You can see more detail in the shadow areas. The colors are rich, deep and saturated. Riggs was very particular in researching the tribal costumes...
Category

1940s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Tempera

Ringing of the Bell
By Robert Riggs
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Ringing of the Bell Robert Riggs was a painter and a lithographer of monumental compositions, yet achieved his effects through meticulous means. In lithography, he worked from black...
Category

20th Century Other Art Style Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Filling the Biggest Lumber Order on Record
By Robert Riggs
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Date: 1946 Medium: Oil on Paper Dimensions: 20.25" x 18.25" Signature: Signed Lower Right Exhibitions: September 2007: Society of Illustrators
Category

1940s Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

Tribesmen with Headdresses
By Robert Riggs
Located in Miami, FL
"Robert Riggs was awarded the Gold Medal for Excellence by the New York Art Directors Club for ten consecutive years and received many additional awards." He was elected to the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame. His work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts and the U.S. Library of Congress. Riggs's compositons are "monumental" Walt Reed - work is unframed. - Riggs was a Gay Artist.
Category

1940s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Tempera

Related Items
Mid Century Modern Mixed Media Painting -- Day at the Beach
Located in Soquel, CA
Wonderful mid century mixed media coastal/figurative in loose/painterly style by Irmal Gertrude Attridge (American, 1894-1962), circa 1950. Signed lower right. Presented in vintage frame under glass (included as-is). Image size: 9"H x 12"W. Irma Gertrude Attridge was born in Chicago and studied at Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles with Henry McFee and Oscar Van Young. Member of Calif. AC; AEA; Cal. WC. Soc.; Women Painters...
Category

1950s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Color Pencil, Laid Paper

"Child Star" Mid Century Portrait of a Boy with Brown Eyes Oil on Canvas
By William Robert Shulgold
Located in Soquel, CA
"Child Star" Mid Century Portrait of a Boy with Brown Eyes Oil on Canvas Stately portrait of a boy by William Robert Shulgold (Russian-American, 1897-1989). The subject is looking o...
Category

1950s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Oil, Linen

Hummingbird Augury: Cobalt Blue Pastel Drawing on Handmade Paper w/ Gold Stars
By Nicholas Kahn & Richard Selesnick
Located in Hudson, NY
Hummingbird Augury (Circular Cobalt Blue Pastel Drawing of Golden Hummingbird and Stars on Indian Handmade Cotton Paper by Kahn & Selesnick) 11 inch diameter unframed pastel, conte c...
Category

2010s Contemporary Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Crayon, Pastel, Handmade Paper, Graphite

Forest Landscape - an Antique Oil Painting by 19th Century American Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Forest Landscape - an Antique Oil Painting by 19th Century American Artist, Clara Davis Inness (1874-1932) Art measures 36 x 24 inches F...
Category

1920s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

"Summer Pier Fishing" American Scene Social Realism WPA Mid-20th Century Modern
Located in New York, NY
"Summer Pier Fishing" American Scene Social Realism WPA Mid-20th Century Modern Syd J. Browne (1907-1991) "Summer Pier Fishing" 22 x 30 inches Oil on canvas. c. 1930s Signed lower r...
Category

1930s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique American Oil Painting Portrait Young Woman Necklace Period Frame Rare
Located in Buffalo, NY
A beautiful and rare antique American portrait of a young woman in a stunning period frame, likely original to the piece. Unsigned but beaut...
Category

1890s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Lemon Meringue - Gyotaku Style Sumi Ink Painting of a Multi-Colored Octopus
By Jeff Conroy
Located in Chicago, IL
A small octopus is inked in the Japanese style of Gyo-Taku print making. Using sumi ink to "print" the octopus, the artist then embellishes it with colored pencil to convey an extraordinary dimensionality. By printing it on Mulberry paper, which mimics the swirl of water, the artist achieves a beautiful aesthetic. The artwork is matted and framed in a simple white wooden frame measuring 18.25h x 24.25w x 1d inches. Jeff Conroy Lemon Meringue sumi ink and colored pencil on mulberry paper 12.50h x 18.25w in 31.75h x 46.35w cm JEC118 Gyotaku - A Japanese word translated from "gyo" meaning fish and "taku" meaning stone impression and is believed to get its inspiration from Chinese stone rubbings...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Sumi Ink, Watercolor, Mulberry Paper, Color Pencil

Studio 54 - Bananarama - Gyotaku Style Sumi Ink Painting of an Octopus
By Jeff Conroy
Located in Chicago, IL
A small octopus is inked in the Japanese style of Gyo-Taku print making. Using sumi ink to "print" the octopus, the artist then embellishes it with colored pencil to convey an extra...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Sumi Ink, Watercolor, Mulberry Paper, Color Pencil

Evocation (Hudson River School Landscape Oil Painting of Sunset, Framed)
By Jane Bloodgood-Abrams
Located in Hudson, NY
Hudson River School inspired landscape painting of sunset with orange glow “Evocation” painted by Jane Bloodgood-Abrams in 2014 oil on canvas 48 x 60 inches / 49.25 x 61.5 inches wi...
Category

2010s Hudson River School Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mid Century Figurative Portrait of a Boy with Toy Car
By Ralph Edward Joosten
Located in Soquel, CA
Realistic mid century portrait of a boy playing with an antique toy car by Ralph Joosten (American, 1928-2009). Signed "R. Joosten" in the lower left ...
Category

1960s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Winter Sunset
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Winter Sunset" c.1990, is an oil painting (mixed media) on hardboard by German/American artist Frank Kecskes Jr. It is signed at the lower right corner by the ar...
Category

Late 20th Century American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Oil

Winter Sunset
Winter Sunset
H 18.5 in W 22.5 in D 1.75 in
Under the Viaduct American Scene Social Realism WPA Era Mid-20th Century Modern
Located in New York, NY
Under the Viaduct American Scene Social Realism WPA Era Mid-20th Century Modern Syd J. Browne (1907-1991) Under the Viaduct 22 x 30 inches Oil on canvas. c. 1930s Signed lower left ...
Category

1930s American Realist Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Robert Riggs paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Robert Riggs paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Robert Riggs in paint, oil paint, tempera and more. Not every interior allows for large Robert Riggs paintings, so small editions measuring 11 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Spencer Douglass Crockwell, Amos Sewell, and Alex Roulette. Robert Riggs paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $12,500 and tops out at $92,000, while the average work can sell for $40,000.

Recently Viewed

View All