08/23/2026
🎨✨ Celebrating the legacy of Carl R. Blair — a true icon of the Greenville arts community!
Born in Kansas, Carl Blair moved to Greenville in 1957 to join the art faculty at Bob Jones University, where he taught for more than 40 years and influenced generations of Upstate artists. He also helped establish Hampton III Gallery in 1970, one of South Carolina’s longest-running commercial galleries, strengthening Greenville’s reputation as a home for the arts.
Blair’s art is perhaps best known for imaginative landscapes that blend recognizable forms with abstraction. Rather than calling his work realistic or abstract, Blair famously described it as “visual poetry.” His work was exhibited in more than 100 museums, galleries, and universities and became part of more than 2,500 public, corporate, and private collections.
His impact reached far beyond his own artwork. In 2005, Blair received the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Award for Lifetime Achievement, South Carolina’s highest arts honor. Greenville’s arts community continues to celebrate the artists he inspired and the lasting mark he left on the Upstate.
Come experience the work of this remarkable Greenville artist and discover a piece of Upstate South Carolina art history. 🖼️✨
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