Walls That Speak: The Murals of John Thomas Biggers

Published: November, 2010  Pages: 160  Features: 47 color and 38 b&w illus. Notes. Bib. Index.

John Thomas Biggers (1924-2001) was one of the most significant African American artists of the twentieth century. He was known for his murals, but also for his drawings, paintings, and lithographs, and was honored by a major traveling retrospective exhibition from 1995 to 1997. He created archetypal imagery that spoke positively to the rich and varied ethnic heritage of African Americans, long before the Civil Rights era drew attention to their African cultural roots. His influence upon other artists was profound, both for the power of his art and as professor and elder statesman to younger generations. more... about Walls That Speak: The Murals of John Thomas Biggers

• Publication Award from the Center for the Advancement and Study of Early Texas Art (CASETA), 2011

A Life on Paper: The Drawings and Lithographs of John Thomas Biggers

Published: November, 2006  Pages: 192  Features: 103 duotone illus. Notes. Bib. Index.

John Thomas Biggers (1924–2001) was a major African American artist who inspired countless others through his teaching, murals, paintings, and drawings. After receiving conventional art training at Hampton Institute and Pennsylvania State, he had his personal and artistic breakthrough in 1957 when he spent six months in the newly independent country of Ghana. From this time forward, he integrated African abstract elements with his rural Southern images to create a personal iconography. His new approach made him famous, as his personal discovery of African heritage fit in well with the growing U.S. civil rights movement. He is best known for his murals at Hampton University, Winston-Salem University, and Texas Southern, but the drawings and lithographs that lie behind the murals have received scant attention—until now. more... about A Life on Paper: The Drawings and Lithographs of John Thomas Biggers