Suicide in Costume

Currently not on view

Suicide in Costume

1931-1934

Franklin Chenault Watkins (American, 1894–1972)

In 1931, at the age of thirty-seven, Franklin Watkins was suddenly catapulted into the national spotlight when his painting Suicide in Costume won first prize at the prestigious Carnegie International Exhibition. Conservative critics attacked its morbid subject matter, but for Philadelphia modernists such as the artist's former teachers, Arthur B. Carles and Henry McCarter, the success of this painting vindicated their progressive approach to art making.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Suicide in Costume

Date:

1931-1934

Artist:

Franklin Chenault Watkins (American, 1894–1972)

Medium:

Pastel and tempra paint on canvas

Dimensions:

36 7/8 × 45 1/16 inches (93.7 × 114.5 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Purchased with funds contributed by a group of anonymous donors, 1942

Accession Number:

1942-17-1

Geography:

Made in United States, North and Central America

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Currently not on view