"Like an African griot, or teacher, John Biggers is a storyteller.
Using a visual language inspired by ancient astronomy and African
symbolic imagery, he creates murals, drawings, paintings, and sculpture that
derive their power from a deeply felt commitment to the human community."
by Edmund Barry Gaither
Born in Gastonia, North Carolina, in 1924, John Biggers has used his gifts as a teacher and artist to shape the image of black people, whether Southern or African, as humane, universal spirits. Using the powerful language of murals, and his interest in sacred geometry, Biggers has synthesized influences from American regionalism, African-American figurative tradition, African and Native American sources into uniquely intriguing aesthetic and iconographic works. His drawings, prints, paintings, and sculptures establish him as an important and original American artist, especially in the field of murals.
Edmund Barry Gaither is director and chief curator of the Museum of the
National Center of Afro-American Artists.
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