Psychopathic Ward

c. 1940

Robert Riggs

Associated Names
Robert Riggs

Artist, American, 1896 - 1970

This is a drawing of a scene inside a room with barred windows. The room is filled with figures engaged in various poses and gestures, suggesting agitation and unrest. The figures are dressed in loose, draped clothing, and their expressions and postures convey distress, confusion, and a lack of coordination. Some figures are bent over, others have their arms outstretched, and a few appear to be interacting with one another in distressful ways. The play of light and shadow adds to the somber atmosphere, with stark contrasts emphasizing the emotional weight captured in the drawing.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    lithograph in black on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Ingrid Rose in memory of her husband Milton Rose

  • Dimensions

    image: 36.2 × 47.94 cm (14 1/4 × 18 7/8 in.)
    sheet: 43.82 × 60.33 cm (17 1/4 × 23 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2018.37.6

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Bassham 1986, 78

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gift to NGA by Ingrid Rose, Washington, DC, 2018.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1986

  • Bassham, Ben. The Lithographs of Robert Riggs, With a Catalogue Raisonné. Philadelphia, PA: Art Alliance Press, 1986, pp. 92-93, 95, no. 78.

Inscriptions

in graphite, lower left: 37 Psychopathic Ward; lower right: Robert Riggs-; signed in stone, lower right: Robert Riggs-

Wikidata ID

Q77262731

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