Attributed Bob Thompson (American, 1937-1966), Untitled

Oil on panel, unsigned, inscribed in pencil "Bob Thomson" [sic] to verso, strip framing.

Note: This work has not been authenticated.

Panel 6 1/2 x 11 5/8 in.; Frame dimensions 7 x 12 in.

From the Collection of the late sculptor, Edward Higgins, of New York and North Carolina

The consignor’s late husband, Edward Higgins, was a sculptor active in New York during the 1950s and 1960s. Like Thompson, Higgins exhibited at the Martha Jackson Gallery during the 1960s. Higgins also showed at Leo Castelli, and was included in exhibitions at the Whitney and MoMA.

Bob Thompson was an influential American figurative painter whose vibrant, expressive works reimagined compositions by the Old Masters through the lens of modern art and jazz culture. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Thompson initially enrolled in pre-med studies at Boston University before turning fully to art, a decision that launched a remarkably prolific but tragically brief career. By his early twenties, he had established himself within New York’s downtown art scene, where he formed close ties with painters, poets, and jazz musicians whose improvisational energy deeply informed his work.
Thompson became known for his bold use of color and dynamic reinterpretations of historical paintings, blending influences from Renaissance and Baroque art with the spontaneity of Abstract Expressionism. Spending time in Europe, he studied masterpieces firsthand while developing a highly personal visual language that fused art history with contemporary culture. Though he died in Rome at the age of twenty-eight, Thompson produced more than 1,000 works and left a lasting impact on postwar American art.
Since his death, Thompson has been the subject of numerous solo and group exhibitions, including those at the Speed Art Museum, The Studio Museum of Harlem, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Colby College Museum of Art, Tate Modern, Virginia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and many others. Today, his paintings are held in major museum collections, and his legacy continues to inspire generations of artists.

Light surface grime; some chipping to lower edge of panel, possibly original to the work; no evidence of retouch or restoration.