John T. Biggers

“I began to see art not primarily as an individual expression of talent, but as a responsibility, to reflect the spirit and style of the Negro people. It became an awesome responsibility to me.“

  • Name: John T. Biggers
  • Born: April 13, 1924
  • Died: January 25, 2001 (Aged 76)
  • From: Gastonia, North Carolina
  • Occupation: Artist
  • Works:“Dying Soldier” (1942), “Starry Crown”, “Family Arc” 
  • Awards: Metropolitan Arts Foundation Achievement Award (1988), Texas Artist of the Year (1988) 
  • Fun Fact: Biggers found his love for art when he took an art class with Viktor Lowenfeld, a Jewish refugee who in 1939 fled from Nazi persecution in Austria before World War II. 

John Biggers was an African-American muralist who came to prominence after the Harlem Renaissance and toward the end of World War II. Biggers has worked on creating works critical of racial and economic injustice. 

I Am Handout

Handout

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