John Thomas Biggers (1924–2001) was a major African American 
artist who inspired countless others through his teaching, murals, 
paintings, and drawings. After receiving conventional art training at 
Hampton Institute and Pennsylvania State, he had his personal and 
artistic breakthrough in 1957 when he spent six months in the newly 
independent country of Ghana. From this time forward, he integrated 
African abstract elements with his rural Southern images to create a 
personal iconography. His new approach made him famous, as his 
personal discovery of African heritage fit in well with the growing 
U.S. civil rights movement. He is best known for his murals at 
Hampton University, Winston-Salem University, and Texas Southern, 
but the drawings and lithographs that lie behind the murals have 
received scant attention—until now.

    Theisen interviewed Dr. Biggers during the last thirteen years of 
his life, and was welcomed into his studio innumerable times. 
Together, they selected representative works for this volume, some of 
which have not been previously published for a general audience. 
After his death in 2001, his widow continued to work closely with 
Theisen, resulting in a book that is intimate and informative for both 
the scholar and the student.

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OLIVE JENSEN THEISEN holds a Ph.D. in art education from the 
University of Minnesota and has taught art at Texas Tech, the 
University of North Texas, and other institutions. Theisen was 
awarded the Minnie Stevens Piper professorship in Art Education in 
1991. Her Murals of John Thomas Biggers, American Muralist for 
the Hampton University Museum is considered the definitive book 
on the subject. She lives in Little Elm, Texas.



What people are saying about this book

"Dr. Theisen had unequalled access to Dr. Biggers' widow, as well as 
many of his friends and family. This unprecedented access gives the 
book a completeness and readability that sets it apart from other 
literature about the artist and gives the reader a sense of the character 
of the man as well as of his art. Its charm and readability will appeal 
to a wide range of readers."—R. William McCarter, Regents Professor 
of Art, University of North Texas