Material
Woodcut
About
Modern abstract woodcut by renowned artist John Biggers. The work features a close up black and white image of a pair of abstracted figures. Signed, titled, and dated along front lower margin. Currently hung in a black frame with a white matting.
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.
Dimensions With Frame
H 22.75 in x W 24.75 in x D 1.38 in
Dimensions Without Frame
H 12.13 in. x W 14 in.
![“Two Heads” Modern Abstract Black and White Woodcut Print of Two Figures 1952](https://reevesantiques.imgix.net/media/CA253.2022.0824.4425.1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=90&w=320&s=6c3ede9ef04da59d496d4fde3ee0636a 320w, https://reevesantiques.imgix.net/media/CA253.2022.0824.4425.1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=90&w=540&s=00e85c7d84aad8d2451d1948b5398f95 540w, https://reevesantiques.imgix.net/media/CA253.2022.0824.4425.1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=90&w=768&s=f7b68e34ebd29fee0faf1389d5a98c7d 768w, https://reevesantiques.imgix.net/media/CA253.2022.0824.4425.1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=90&w=1024&s=03718a1d462bcdf3175857f88d3cc66a 1024w, https://reevesantiques.imgix.net/media/CA253.2022.0824.4425.1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=90&w=1200&s=ec9993f55279c7180bd0f5473b214d83 1200w, https://reevesantiques.imgix.net/media/CA253.2022.0824.4425.1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=90&w=1440&s=3af6b9dae752dd3283681a282f7061ad 1440w, https://reevesantiques.imgix.net/media/CA253.2022.0824.4425.1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=90&w=1920&s=fd6da001ef4d614bca61c56aad1f0e49 1920w)