Richard Merkin

1917: Scott Joplin at Bellevue

Maker

Richard Merkin (American, 1938-2009), (RISD MFA 1963, Painting; Professor Emeritus of Painting, RISD Faculty 1963-2009, Painting)

Title

1917: Scott Joplin at Bellevue

Year

1984

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

pastel (crayon)

Supports

Dimensions

83.8 x 106.7 cm (33 x 42 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of the artist in memory of Danny Robbins

Object Number

1996.44

Type

Exhibition History

Draw Me a Story
Illustration from the Permanent Collection
Apr 14, 2006 – Jul 23, 2006

Label copy

Richard Merkin is a longtime RISD faculty member who has worked concurrently for The New Yorker and Vanity Fair. He is known for his depiction of baseball teams and pop culture as well as his portraits, most often executed in pastel. This image depicts the great jazz-age composer Scott Joplin during his final year of life at Bellevue, a hospital for the infirm and insane. Merkin shows the pianist not at his piano, but in his hospital room as an ominous figure with his back turned against the viewer.

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Tombstone

Richard Merkin (American, 1938-2009)
1917: Scott Joplin at Bellevue, 1984
Pastel on handmade paper
83.8 x 106.7 cm (33 x 42 inches)
Gift of the artist in memory of Danny Robbins 1996.44

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