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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.

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Artist: Robert Riggs
Filling the Biggest Lumber Order on Record
Filling the Biggest Lumber Order on Record

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

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

“The Hamilton-Burr Duel, ” illustration for LIFE Magazine

“The Hamilton-Burr Duel, ” illustration for LIFE Magazine

By Robert Riggs

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Illustrating an article about the life of Alexander Hamilton titled “The Duel,” published in LIFE Magazine, July 7, 1947, page 69. The full caption reads: “The Hamilton-Burr Duel, w...

Category

20th Century Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Oil

Mongols
Mongols

Robert RiggsMongols, 1950s

$26,000Sale Price|23% Off

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

Tribesmen with Headdresses, American Realist Tempera Painting, 1940s
Tribesmen with Headdresses, American Realist Tempera Painting, 1940s

Tribesmen with Headdresses, American Realist Tempera Painting, 1940s

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

Prospector firing Rifle  ( Happiness is a Warm Gun ) Gay Art
Prospector firing Rifle  ( Happiness is a Warm Gun ) Gay Art

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 ( composite wood 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,” there 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 moment of its peak climax. Meanwhile, the 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 was 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

Indian sacrificial ceremony -   Aztec  Human Sacrifice
Indian sacrificial ceremony -   Aztec  Human Sacrifice

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

Redhead Girl Holding Father's Hand, Oil on Panel, 1940s, Signed

Redhead Girl Holding Father's Hand, Oil on Panel, 1940s, Signed

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

Indian Ritual  Walking on Fire,  Firewalking Ceremony,  Mythology and Religion
Indian Ritual  Walking on Fire,  Firewalking Ceremony,  Mythology and Religion

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

Grizzly Adams,  Grizzly bear attacks Frontiersman

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

Tribesmen with Headdresses
Tribesmen with Headdresses

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

Young girl Redhead Holding her father's hand Illustration

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
Tribesmen with Headdresses  - Photo Realism

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

Paul Bunyan, Original Signed Oil Painting by Robert Riggs
Paul Bunyan, Original Signed Oil Painting by Robert Riggs

Paul Bunyan, Original Signed Oil Painting by Robert Riggs

By Robert Riggs

Located in Long Island City, NY

Known for his paintings of prize-fighting and circus-genre scenes and lithography of gigantic size compositions, Robert Riggs had a highly successful career as an artist, especially ...

Category

1950s Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

Japanese Buddha, Signed Original Tempera Painting by Robert Riggs
Japanese Buddha, Signed Original Tempera Painting by Robert Riggs

Japanese Buddha, Signed Original Tempera Painting by Robert Riggs

By Robert Riggs

Located in Long Island City, NY

Known for his paintings of prize-fighting and circus-genre scenes and lithography of gigantic size compositions, Robert Riggs had a highly successful career as an artist, especially ...

Category

1940s Robert Riggs Paintings

Materials

Tempera, Board

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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.