A clinical look behind the self-portraits of Antonio Ligabue

Art lovers, historians, and mental health professionals have endlessly speculated about what psychiatric disorders famous painters might be diagnosed with today and how their mental dis-tress seems to have influenced their life and career. However, very limited analysis is available about the Italian painter Antonio Ligabue (1899-1965). This “psychological autopsy” has been based on the review of his biography, paintings, exhibitions, and personal scripts. It reconstructed a hypothetical illness trajectory originating from an autism spectrum disorder, possibly exacerbated by comorbid health conditions, social exclusion, poor caregiver support, and stressful life events, culminating in multiple hospitalizations for affective dysregulation and aberrant behavior. The present “cold” case report suggests that Antonio Ligabue’s mental difficulties may need to be looked at under a neurodevelopmental perspective encompassing autism, a condition very much underrecognized during his lifetime.