Robert Noel Blair (August 12, 1912 – June 15, 2003) was an American painter and sculptor from the

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...

- Buffalo area.

Art

Blair is known for his paintings of Western New York,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, the

American Southwest The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

and the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

.Burchfield-Penny Art Center - Robert N. Blair
/ref> Blair, a close contemporary of painter Charles Burchfield,Robert Noel Blair - A View from the Outside
/ref> was twice-endowed with a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

, in 1946/1947 and 1951/1952.John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Website
/ref> He was also awarded, amongst other prizes, ten Gold & Silver Medals at the Buffalo Society of Artists Annuals.Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc. - Robert Noel Blair
/ref>AskART - Robert Blair
/ref>

Notable exhibitions

Blair's watercolors have been exhibited widely in both in the United States and Europe and they have earned many prestigious awards. Blair was honored with over fifty one-man shows in his lifetime. From 1934 to 1946 his work was exhibited at the Albany Institute of History & Art, Albany, New York, and, in 1937, his first one-man exhibition took place at the Bredemeier Gallery, Buffalo, New York. In 1939, his work was exhibited at the

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. Located near the Prospect Heig ...

, New York, and in 1940, at the Albright Art Gallery (prize), Buffalo, New York, and the Morton Gallery, New York. In 1942, a solo exhibitions were held at both the Albright Art Gallery and the Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, New York. From 1942 to 1945 his work was exhibited at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

, Illinois. In 1947, his art was exhibited at the

Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art is a former art museum in Washington, D.C., that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Founded in 1869 by philanthropist William Wilson Corco ...

, Washington, D.C., and in 1948, at the Art Institute of Chicago (Watowsky prize), IL and the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1805, it is the longest continuously operating art museum and art school in the United States. The academy's museum ...

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1953, his work was exhibited at the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, and the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

Watercolor National (first watercolor prize), New York City. In 1966, his art was exhibited at the

Buffalo State University The State University of New York Buffalo State University (colloquially referred to as Buffalo State University, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo State, or simply Buff State) is a public college, public university in Buffalo, New York. It is part of ...

(retrospective), Buffalo, New York, and from September 18 to October 15, 1966, a solo exhibition, "50 Year Retrospective" of paintings and drawings was held at Brian Art Galleries, Amherst, New York. In 2005, an exhibition of his early work (1931–1949) was shown at the Eclectic Art and Objects Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The exhibition of watercolors entitled ''Robert Noel Blair – A View from the Outside'' was made up of what Blair had considered to be his best and most important paintings which had been stored in his barn studio until his death in 2003. From August to September, 2011, at the Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, New Castle, Pennsylvania, fifty-two of Blair's works were shown in a solo exhibition, "Robert N. Blair: Paintings & Drawings", curated by artist, student and friend Wendy Warner. In May 2012, the Benjaman Gallery held an exhibition of the Blair family's work including art and photographs by Robert Blair, Bruce Blair, David Blair, and Jeanette Blair.''"A Family Affair" Highlights an Artistic Legacy'' Buffalo News, written by Colin Dabkowski, May 10, 201

/ref>The Benjamin Gallery
/ref> A tribute to Jeanette Blair, celebrating her own work as a watercolorist, was held at The Benjaman Gallery on June 1, 2012.''A Tribute Long Overdue, Watercolorist Blair painted Holland scenes'' by Harold McNeil, Buffalo News, June 1, 201

/ref>

Museums and private collections

Today, his work is represented in many museums and private collections including the

, the Butler Institute of American Art, the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute of Utica, the Bryn Mawr Art Association, the Dubuque Art Association, Colgate University and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Collection of Marine Paintings.

Buffalo State College The State University of New York Buffalo State University (colloquially referred to as Buffalo State University, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo State, or simply Buff State) is a public college, public university in Buffalo, New York. It is part of ...

Burchfield-Penney Art Center The Burchfield Penney Art Center, or just the Burchfield Penney, is an arts and educational institution part of Buffalo State University, located adjacent to the main campus in Buffalo, New York, United States. Dedicated to the art and visi ...

maintains over 175 of Blair's paintings. The Ford Motor Company owns ten of his paintings. Blair painted a large mural for the Bethlehem Steel Corporation in 1947.

Publications

Blair's work has been the subject of articles in

Art News ''ARTnews'' is an American art magazine, based in New York City. It covers visual arts from ancient to contemporary times. It is the oldest and most widely distributed art magazine in the world. ''ARTnews'' has a readership of 180,000 in 124 co ...

, Art Digest, Plein Air Magazine, and the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

as well as numerous art books. Blair's art adorns pages in ''Captain and Mate'', 1940; ''St. Lawrence Seaway'', 1957; ''Ford Times Magazine'', 1958–61; ''American Artist Magazine'', 1966; and ''Jeannie's World'', 1966.

Education and teaching

Born in Buffalo, New York, Blair is the brother of

aviation pioneer Aviation pioneers are people directly and indirectly responsible for the creation and advancement of human flight capability, including people who worked to achieve manned flight before the invention of aircraft, as well as others who achieved si ...

Charles F. Blair, Jr., husband of Hollywood actress

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was an Irish-born naturalized American actress who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for playing passionate b ...

. Robert Blair decided to become an artist at age 15. He studied at the

School of the Museum of Fine Arts The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (Museum School, SMFA at Tufts, or SMFA; formerly the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) is a dedicated art school within Tufts University, a private research university in Massa ...

in Boston, 1931–1934 after time with the Albright Art School in Buffalo. Blair was the director of the Art Institute of Buffalo (1946–1949), where he taught art with his wife, Jeannette Blair. In 1955 he taught at the Albright Art School, Buffalo, New York, and from 1955 to 1971 he taught at the Buffalo State University, Buffalo, New York.

World War II

Although a self-described pacifist, he joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

on February 14, 1942, at the Fort Niagara Youngstown Branch, 3rd Regiment in Fort McClellan. He was also a member of the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

in Berlin as a sergeant and 17th Airborne in Belgium and Germany. In recognition of his persistence (having previously been banned from art supplies) and his talent, a colonel appointed Blair a 'sergeant of secret documents', allowing him to sketch on the battlefield and safely store his work. This would become his

plein air ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or plein-air painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting is c ...

series on

.Brown University Library, Archives, The Artists
/ref> Most of his World War II paintings were donated by Blair to the Burchfield Art Center, Buffalo, New York, (now the Burchfield-Penney Art Center) after a solo exhibition of these works in 1985 at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and the Watercolor Society. Images of some of Blair's World War II paintings can be viewed online at the US Army Center of Military History, ''Battle of the Bulge'', Artwork and Photography.
/ref>

Personal life

Blair married artist Jeanette Ann (née Kenney; born September 22, 1922) on August 8, 1943, in front of his "Sermon on the Mount" mural, one of a trio of murals he contributed to Anniston, AL, while stationed at nearby Fort McClellan, AL. The Blair's had three children: Jeanne Blair (1945-1965), David Blair (1948), and Bruce Blair (1951). Both sons are also artists. After Blair's World War II army service, in 1946, the couple settled in Holland, New York, and supported themselves selling their own art and teaching art classes. On June 15, 2003, he died at his home in Holland, New York.

Art