digital archive

JOHN BIGGERS

JOHN BIGGERS (1924-2001), born in North Carolina, attended the Hampton Institute, Virginia, intending to become a plumber. An art course with Viktor Lowenfeld, who advocated the exploration and preservation of cultures, encouraged Biggers to pursue artmaking instead. Biggers' intricate drawings and prints depict issues of African American people, while several trips to Africa expanded his sense of the black experience allowing him to combine African and American symbolism.