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.
George Washington Inauguration Oil Painting, 1960, Figurative Scene
By Robert Riggs
Located in Miami, FL
The scene depicts George Washington, en route to Federal Hall in New York City, April 30, 1789, as he arrives at the Battery. The pomp and pageantry with ...
Oil
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...
Mixed Media
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...
Tempera
$25,000
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...
Varnish, Pigment
“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...
Oil
Solothman on the Aase, Switzerland
By Eugene Schmidt
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Eugene Schmidt (German/American, 1919-2007) Title: Solothman on the Aase, Switzerland Year: Circa 1970 Medium: Oil on canvas board Board size: 10 x 8 inches Signature...
Oil
Shore Birds
Located in Salt Lake City, UT
"Shore Birds" by Gerald Purdy, oil on panel, 11 1/2 X 14 inches (framed size: 17 X 21 1/2 inches), $2,800. "I chose narrative art from the menu and have ...
Oil, Panel
"Bustling Alley at Dusk" Oil Painting
By Christopher Clark
Located in Denver, CO
Christopher Clark's (US based) "Bustling Alley at Dusk" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a dreamy cityscape that features turn of the century buildings lining an alley where throngs of people gather at cafes and walk past in the light of the setting sun. Bio/artist statement: Christopher has been an artist since early childhood, when he would watch Bob Ross on PBS and mimic the famed oil painter’s art with crayons. He considers himself a self-educated artist, with his studies ranging from personal training with contemporary masters, to classical academic art technique, with much inspiration from 19th Century art and the Impressionist Movement. Christopher lived in Italy for a time, immersing himself in Italian culture and art, which continues to influence his painting. His fan base has grown considerably since his return to the US, gaining the attention of Lucasfilm and Marvel Fine Art, which both signed him as an officially licensed artist in 2016. Other clients include George Lucas, Major League Baseball, Louisville Slugger, and Fender Guitars. Christopher’s painting skills are not his only talent in the arts. He has won several national swing dance championship competitions, and also studies tango and blues dancing. He has played guitar since the age of 12, and during his time as lead guitarist for a rock band, he opened for Blue Oyster Cult...
Oil, Wood Panel
$3,800
H 20.48 in W 23.63 in D 1.58 in
Mythological scene, study for the Prize of Rome 1864, French academism, Homer
Located in Norwich, GB
This rare mythological scene depicting the Greek author Homer on the island of Scyros. You will notice the Trojan War being fought in the background. Our painting, dating from 1864, is unsigned, but has a solid attribution to academic artist Henri-Léopold Lévy...
Canvas, Oil
$29,850
H 28.25 in W 48.75 in D 2.5 in
A Very Fine Austrian Oil on Canvas "Young Ladies Collecting Spring Flowers"
By Hans Zatzka
Located in LA, CA
Hans Zatzka (Austrian, 1859-1945) a very fine and charming oil on canvas ""Young Ladies Collecting Spring Flowers", depicting three young maidens picking flowers by a lake. The three...
Oil
$95,000
H 10 in W 16 in
Departure of the Caravan, 19th Century Orientalist Oil Painting on Wood, Framed
By Charles Théodore Frère
Located in New York, NY
Departure of the Caravan, 1834-1887, by Theodore Frere (1814-1888) Oil on wood 10 x 16 inches unframed (25.4 x 40.64 cm) 18 ¾ x 24 ¾ inches framed (47.625 x 62.865 cm) Signed on bott...
Oil
"Icy River" Oil Painting
By Rick Howell
Located in Denver, CO
Rick Howell's "Untitled 2" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a snow lined stream reflecting the blue and rust colored shimmer of cold water melt flowing into the distance. About the Artist: Rick Howell's landscape paintings deftly fuse the influences of the Old Masters, the American Romantic Landscape movement, and the tonal colors, loose brushwork, and softness of form displayed in the Barbizon school. Howell’s art is notable for its poetic and atmospheric interpretation of the land, as derived from his direct on-site observations and impressions. A master of light, color, and shadow, Howell creates highly ordered scenes which consciously juxtapose hazy or blurred elements with sharp and refined details. A master of the tonalist landscape, Howell often utilizes the overall tone of colored atmosphere or mist to elicit an emotional response. Howell’s work demonstrates extraordinary sensitivity to time and place, to the endless variety of forms and colors of landscape in the Southwest, and to expressing the quiet contemplative beauty of nature, capturing the nuances of place through his use of subtle gradations of color and light. Howell often painted en plein air for weeks at a time, even in harsh winter months. While Howell was neither purely a realist nor an impressionist painter, his works convey both the earthly and the ethereal to capture the full essence of a locale as observed and felt on location. As a fourth-generation native of New Mexico, Howell had a deep connection with the Southwest; in particular, he drew considerable inspiration from the wilderness that surrounded his studio at the mouth of the Conejos Canyon in the Southern San Juan Mountains...
Oil
"Keeler" Oil Painting
By Mark Harrison
Located in Denver, CO
Mark Harrison's (UK based) "Keeler" is an oil painting that depicts an arid landscape with clouds and road leading to a small unassuming building. Sometimes they are silent epic lan...
Linen, Oil
$5,000
H 23.5 in W 21.5 in
"Summer Picnic by the River" Joshua Shaw, American Atmospheric Genre Painting
By Joshua Shaw
Located in New York, NY
Joshua Shaw Summer Picnic by the River, circa 1840 Signed lower right Oil on canvas 15 1/2 x 13 1/2 inches Born in Bellingborough, Lincolnshire, England, Joshua Shaw became known f...
Canvas, Oil
$4,400
H 36 in W 48 in
"Coastal Colors" - Impressionist Still-Life of Boats and Marina, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Ken Valastro (1954-2014) created dynamic oil paintings characterized by bold color contrasts and vigorous brushwork that captured the energy of urban scenes. His signature style feat...
Oil, Board
$8,500
H 32 in W 37 in
"Ships at Sunset" Hendricks Hallett, Fiery Sunset, Sailing Ships, Marine Scene
Located in New York, NY
Hendricks Hallett Ships at Sunset Signed lower left Oil on canvas 22 x 27 inches Hallett, originally from Massachusetts, pursued his studies in Antwerp and Paris. He is primarily r...
Canvas, Oil
Grey House. Oil on canvas. Signed.
Located in Paris, FR
Raf Peeters is a Belgian artist represented by Boycott Gallery.
Oil