John T. Biggers
Painting, Visual Artist
1924 – 2001
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)
- Hampton University
- Employment
- Texas Southern University
(1949 - 1983/05) - Alabama State University
- Texas Southern 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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