Robert Noel Blair (August 12, 1912 – June 15, 2003) was an American painter and sculptor from the Western New York-Buffalo area.
Blair is known for his paintings of Western New York, Maine, Vermont, the American Southwest and the Battle of the Bulge.
[3] He was also awarded, amongst other prizes, ten Gold & Silver Medals at the Buffalo Society of Artists Annuals.
[4][5] Blair's watercolors have been exhibited widely in both in the United States and Europe and they have earned many prestigious awards.
[4] [5] In 2005, an exhibition of his early work (1931–1949) was shown at the Eclectic Art and Objects Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
[6][7] A tribute to Jeanette Blair, celebrating her own work as a watercolorist, was held at The Benjaman Gallery on June 1, 2012.
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.
[1] 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.