Bob Thompson (June 26, 1937 – May 30, 1966)[1] was an African-American figurative painter known for his bold and colorful canvases, whose compositions were influenced by the Old Masters.

[9] Especially influential were the two courses Thompson took with Dario Covi that included Renaissance art and the life drawing class he took with Eugene Leake.

He also formed friendships with writers Allen Ginsberg and LeRoi Jones as well as to fellow artists Lester Johnson, Mimi Gross, Marcia Marcus and Allan Kaprow, with whom he participated in some of the earliest Happenings organized by Grooms.

Thompson exhibited at the Donald Morris Gallery in Detroit in 1965, which created significant interest in his work among local collectors.

One of his recurrent themes was the reinterpretation of subjects from the Old Masters, synthesizing masterpieces of the past with his interest and engagement with contemporary culture, including jazz, poetry and the arts.

[2] Though not as directly active in the civil rights movement as some Black artists of the 1960's, Thompson's close friendships and associations with the cultural figures and themes of the era found bold expression in his painting.

His 1961 painting "L'Execution" depicts a lynching, explicitly referencing the violent, racist resistance to civil rights, while also paying homage to Piero della Francesca's Flagellation of Christ.

[19] Thompson honored Black artists and institutions with his 1964 portrait of his long-time friend, poet, writer and playwright, LeRoi Jones ("LeRoi Jones and Family"); "The Hairdresser" (1962-63); "The Beauty Parlor (1963); and "Homage to Nina Simone ", a piece dedicated to the singer and civil rights activist, whom he admired and befriended in the summer of 1965.

[22] The 1998 exhibition of Thompson's work, curated by Thelma Golden at the Whitney Museum of American Art did much to bring his artistic achievement to the attention of wider audience.