Dr. John Biggers

Houston (1924-2001): As founding chairman of the art department at Texas Southern University (then known as Texas State University for Negroes), Biggers developed a signature painting style that expressed the rich cultural heritage and identity of the people in his community. His early work portrayed social realism, but after a trip to Africa, his paintings became more abstract, often depicting stylized shotgun houses (inspiring Project Row Houses), churches, or railroads, all symbolic of Black culture, spiritual rebirth, and migration.