Dr. John T. Biggers, founder of the Texas Southern University art department, was one of the most important visual artists of the 20th century. Biggers' expressive, Afrocentric style became highly influential for generations of subsequent artists. He created three monumental murals on the campus of Texas Southern which are showcased in this collection.
Biggers completed work on this mural in 1959 after returning from his UNESCO fellowship in West Africa. Originally installed in the Samuel M. Nabrit Science Building on Texas Southern’s campus, it is now located in the University Museum. Mother Nature is at the center of this work, surrounded by embryos and skeletons, animals and fish, and men and women. It speaks to the interconnectedness of life.
Biggers and Harvey Johnson, a former TSU art professor and student of Dr. Biggers, painted this mural in the lobby of the Jesse H. Jones School of Business. It speaks to the history of commerce and the wealth of Africa. NUBIA is full of visual symbols drawn from African art, including ceremonial combs, gold weights, and several meaningful animals, like the hippo, buzzard, sacred ibis, double crocodile, spider, tortoise, and more.
Texas Southern University students commissioned Biggers to paint this mural in the cafeteria of the student center. Composed of several distinct but interrelated images, Family Unity features several Afrocentric motifs that Biggers developed, including sacred geometry (checkerboards and spirals), shotgun houses, and husband-and-wife pairs. At the center is what Biggers called the “morning star,” which shows a couple embracing with their form suggesting a womb.
