Robert Riggs

Robert Riggs was known for his paintings of prize-fighters and circus scenes, many of them large-scale lithographs. He was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1946 on the strength of these images. As a young man Riggs ran away from home to join the circus then went on to study art at the James Milliken University in Illinois and then at the Art Students League in New York. After serving in World War I he stayed overseas and attended the Académie Julian in Paris. On his return to the United States he settled in Philadelphia and worked for an advertising agency as an illustrator.