The Artists Collective | Spartanburg will present “The Fantastic World of Bob Logrippo: A Retrospective,” a 50-year survey of the late artist’s art and illustrations, Jan. 6 through Feb. 28, 2026, in the Solomon Gallery.
An exhibit reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, as part of Spartanburg ArtWalk. The reception and exhibition viewing are free and open to the public.
The artwork of Robert (Bob) Logrippo, a native of New York, has been described as “America naïve or in the American Crafts style.” Stylistically, his work may have resembled those styles, but he was a trained commercial illustrator whose work appeared in major publications and on product packaging for several decades, says Scott Cunningham, Solomon Gallery director. Logrippo primarily worked in acrylics on canvas, linen or panel
An award-winning illustrator and artist, Logrippo was active as a painter, showing his works in Upstate South Carolina until his death in Greenville on Aug. 21, 2021. He was 73.
“Logrippo’s work will take you back to a nostalgic America and a place where epic battles between knights and dragons could occupy the same space as an urban setting with nude sunbathers as hot air balloons floated over adjacent countrysides with cows grazing at river’s edge ignoring the mermaids trying to engage them,” Cunningham says.
Emily Crow Neeley wrote of Logrippo’s art in an article in Spartanburg Magazine: “Monsters, dragons, whales and fantastical city – and village-scapes often find their way into LoGrippo’s creations. Other paintings show an America that many are nostalgic for: quaint, rural, small-town American life. Inspired by the Old Masters and genre paintings of 16th-century northern Europe, Logrippo takes his cue from the works of two Flemish artists in particular: Hieronymous Bosch’s haunting images of hell and sin, and Pieter Bruegel’s depictions of peasant life – at first glance idyllic, but upon closer inspection, a bit troublesome as well. Logrippo cites these painters as major influences, but art scholars often describe his work as ‘American naïve,’ or in the ‘American Crafts style’ – reminiscent of American folk artists like Grandma Moses.”
Logrippo taught at Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute (1982-1994), Furman University Continuing Education Program (1985-1989), Spartanburg Art Museum and was the Art School director (1997-2011). He won numerous awards for his art and created many works on commission for books, cards, posters, record covers and more. He exhibited widely in New York, South Carolina and North Carolina.