Rollo, Joseph “Jo” (1904-2001)

Born Giuseppe Rollo in Ragusa, Italy, he immigrated with his family to the US in 1913 and lived in Chicago (the spelling of his name possibly dating to this time so as to differentiate him from a well-known boxer living in the city). He worked as a newsroom copy boy while studying at the Art Institute of Chicago, then moved to New York in the late 1920s. His work was exhibited in places like the Whitney Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute, and at different venues in Woodstock, NY. Based upon extant works, Rollo appears to have moved easily between landscape, still life, and portrait genres. In 1934 the PWAP commissioned him to paint the portrait of Chicago mayor Edward Joseph Kelly (Chicago Tribune 15 Jan. 1934: 4). 3 works at the Whitney Museum of American Art. 3 works at the Woodstock Artists Association & Museum. 1 work at the National Gallery of Art. 1 work at Detroit Institute of the Arts. 2 works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 4 more images at FAP.

Works in the New Deal Collection at GVCA by Jo Rollo:

rolloGVCA