Biggers, John

Source:

 Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, Second Edition

Biggers, John

1924–2001
African American artist, known for his murals and community-based visual style.

Born in Gastonia, North Carolina, John Biggers was one of seven children. His father, Paul Biggers, was a school principal, preacher, and basket maker. Biggers studied at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in Virginia, where he resolved to become an artist. Biggers served in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946, and in 1944 painted a mural for the U.S. Naval Training School at Hampton. He subsequently attended Pennsylvania State University, where he earned B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees. Biggers founded and chaired the art department at Texas Southern University, where he implemented progressive art programs that involved local communities.

Biggers is known for his murals, a form he began to master while at Hampton. Many of his early works no longer exist because they were painted directly on buildings that were later destroyed or altered. His works demonstrate his interest in the concrete spiritual symbolism of Africa. This fascination is apparent in his mural The Rites of Passage, which incorporates themes of life cycles and transitions. In his later works Biggers used iconic, domestic symbols such as a washboard, an anvil, and a three-legged wash pot to suggest the daily lives and heritages of African Americans.

In 1957 Biggers was awarded a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) fellowship. His work is exhibited in the collections of the Houston Museum of Fine Arts and the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, both in Texas; Howard University, in Washington, D.C.; and Pennsylvania State University.

See also Art, African American.

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