John T. Biggers

Painting, Visual Artist

1924 – 2001

30

Who was John T. Biggers?

John Thomas Biggers was an African-American muralist who came to prominence after the Harlem Renaissance and toward the end of World War II. Biggers was born in Gastonia, North Carolina, and attended the Lincoln Academy, the Hampton Institute, and then Pennsylvania State University, from which he earned a doctorate in 1954. From 1954 to 1955, he was in his home town, working on the many paintings that are now very well distinguished.

His works can be found at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, primarily in the campus library.

In Houston, Texas, Biggers founded the art department at Houston's Texas State University for Negroes in 1949. Biggers received a fellowship in 1957 from UNESCO, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, allowing him to become one of the first African-American artists to visit Africa.

Biggers studied under Viktor Lowenfeld at Hampton Institute, who significantly influenced Biggers in his artistic development. Biggers later created works that reflected his perspective of the anguish that people have suffered merely because of their race or religious beliefs.

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Born
Apr 13, 1924
Gastonia
Also known as
  • John "Doc" Biggers
Spouses
Ethnicity
  • African American
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession
Education
  • Hampton University
    (1941 - )
  • Doctorate, Pennsylvania State University
    Education
    (Specialized in Art)
    ( - 1954)
  • Master of Science, Pennsylvania State University
    ( - 1948)
Employment
  • Texas Southern University
    (1949 - 1983/05)
  • Alabama State University
Died
Jan 25, 2001

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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"John T. Biggers." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/john_t_biggers>.

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