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John Thomas Biggers"Holy Family" Black and White Figurative Lithograph Edition 89/1001983
1983
$4,500
£3,470.16
€3,957.03
CA$6,417.94
A$7,014.06
CHF 3,691.02
MX$84,011
NOK 46,455.19
SEK 43,387.34
DKK 29,555.36
About the Item
Black and white 1983 figurative lithograph titled "Holy Family" by American artist John Thomas Biggers.
Olive Jensen Theisen, in her book, A Life on Paper, The Drawings and Lithographs of John Thomas Biggers (2006), includes a chapter titled, Developing and Integrating the Iconography: 1974-1983, and tells us that at this point in his career, the artist was “on a quest to integrate his understanding of African mythology and art with his life as a black Southern male of the mid-twentieth century.”
Biggers’ imagery always began with drawing; whether it eventually manifested itself as a lithograph or a giant public mural, it always began with a drawn design—and many times the drawing was also the completed form of the concept. He began his mural Family Unity for the student center at Texas Southern University in 1974, and that project marked a stylistic change to his work. Upper Room was the first drawing he completed for the project, and that image begins to reveal the geometric abstraction which was to soon dominate his work. By the second drawing, Holy Family, his concern with both geometry and symmetry was obvious.
His new approach was heavily influenced by African sculptural forms, and his message was conveyed in symbolism rather than narration.
Signed titled, dated, and editioned in pencil along the front lower margin of the work. Currently hung in a black frame with gold accents.
Dimensions Without Frame: H 34 in. x W 25 in.
Artist Biography: Artist Biography: Born in Gastonia, North Carolina in 1924, John Biggers studied at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) under Viktor Lowenfeld and muralist Charles White. In 1943, Biggers' mural, Dying Soldier, was included in the exhibition curated by Lowenfeld, Young Negro Art, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
After serving in the United States Navy, Biggers transferred to Pennsylvania State University where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as his doctorate in art education. In 1949, Biggers accepted a faculty position at Texas State University for Negroes (now Texas Southern University) in Houston, where he founded and chaired the art department until his retirement. In the early 50s, he won prizes for his work at annual exhibitions held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Dallas Museum of Art.
In 1957, he traveled to Africa on a UNESCO fellowship to study Western African cultural traditions, becoming one of the first black artists to study the culture first-hand rather than through library research. His work was profoundly influenced by his experiences in Africa.
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. Biggers passes away in 2001 in Houston, TX.
- Creator:John Thomas Biggers (1924-2001, American)
- Creation Year:1983
- Dimensions:Height: 45.5 in (115.57 cm)Width: 36.5 in (92.71 cm)Depth: 1.75 in (4.45 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age.
- Gallery Location:Houston, TX
- Reference Number:Seller: A2025.1013.68551stDibs: LU551317135842
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