Brian Robb

Brian Robb (7 May 1913 – 1979) was a painter, illustrator, and cartoonist. He worked for Shell and London Transport, designing posters and advertisements, and as a cartoonist for Punch. During World War II, he served as a camouflage officer in the Western Desert. He taught at Chelsea College of Art before and after the war, before becoming head of illustration at the Royal College of Art.

Biography

Early life Robb was educated at Malvern College. He studied at Chelsea School of Art from 1930, and at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1935.

During the 1930s he became known for his humorous cartoons published in Punch. He was a skilled illustrator, creating both pen-and-ink and watercolour illustrations for books such as The Adventures of Odd and Elsewhere. He was in demand for his ability to design posters for London Transport and advertisements for Shell, where he had worked for Jack Beddington.

Artist and teacher After the war, Robb returned to his lecturing job at the Chelsea School of Art, where he inspired a generation of artists such as the illustrator Quentin Blake. In 1963, he moved to become head of illustration at the Royal College of Art, taking over from Edward Ardizzone.

Works

Books illustrated by Robb Aesop (trans. S.A. Handford) (1954). Aesop's Fables. Penguin. Andreyev, Leonid Nikolaevich (trans. Walter Morison) (1947). Judas Iscariot and Other Stories. John Westhouse. Anon (1968-9). The Oxford Illustrated Old Testament. Oxford University Press. (in part) Apuleius (trans. William Adlington) (1947). The Golden Asse of Lucius Apuleius. John Westhouse. Barkas, Geoffrey (1952). The Camouflage Story. From Aintree to Alamein. Cassell. Day, Charles William (1946). Hints on Etiquette and the Usages of Society. Turnstile Press. De Quincey, A. (1947). The Last of the Dragons. Hamish Hamilton. Douglas, Alfred (1979). Tails With a Twist: Animal Nonsense Verse. Batsford. Fielding, Henry(1953). Tom Jones. Macdonald. Nesbit, Edith (1977). Fairy Stories. Ernest Benn. Raspe, Rudolph Eric (1947). 12 Adventures of the Celebrated Baron Munchausen. Peter Lunn. Robb, Brian My Grandmother's Djinn. Deutsch. (1976). Robb, Brian (1944). My Middle East Campaigns. Collins. Robb, Brian (1979). The Last of the Centaurs. Deutsch. Roose-Evans, James (1974). Elsewhere & the Clowns. Deutsch. Roose-Evans, James (1973). Odd and the Great Bear. Deutsch. Roose-Evans, James (1975). Odd to the Rescue!. Deutsch. Roose-Evans, James (1971). The Adventures of Odd and Elsewhere. Deutsch. Roose-Evans, James (1977). The Lost Treasure of Wales. Deutsch. Roose-Evans, James (1975). The Return of the Great Bear. Deutsch. Roose-Evans, James (1975). The Secret of Tippity Witchit. Deutsch. Roose-Evans, James (1972). The Secret of the Seven Bright Shiners. Deutsch. Sterne, Laurence (1948). A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy. Macdonald. Sterne, Laurence (1949). The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. Macdonald. de Quincey, T. (1948). My Kingdom for a Cow!. Hamish Hamilton.

Paintings Gondolas, Venice