Sanford Biggers facts for kids

Sanford Biggers is an American artist who creates many different kinds of art. He works with film, video, sculptures, music, and live performances. Born in Los Angeles, he has lived and worked in New York City since 1999.

About Sanford Biggers

Sanford Biggers was born in Los Angeles, California. His father was a brain surgeon, and his mother was a teacher. He went to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and later earned a master's degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He also attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Since Morehouse College didn't have many art classes, he took most of his art courses at Spelman College.

His Art and Creations

Sanford Biggers first became well-known in 2001. His art piece, Mandala of the B-Bodhisattva II, was shown in an exhibition called "Freestyle" at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Since then, his art has been shown all over the world. This includes places like the Tate Modern in London and the Whitney Biennial in New York.

Biggers' art often explores different cultures and ideas. He uses themes from African-American history, hip hop music, Buddhism, and African spiritual beliefs. He also includes ideas from jazz music and urban culture. He likes to mix different cultural practices to show how they are connected.

Sanford Biggers believes that all art forms are equally important. He often uses meditation and improvisation in his work. He wants his art to help people think more deeply about American history. Sometimes, his sculptures become part of a live performance.

Since he has played piano for most of his life, music is often a big part of his performances. He has worked with many musicians on his projects.

In 2014, Biggers started painting on old quilts. These quilts were given to him by families whose ancestors had owned enslaved people. This was a new way for him to create art.

Sanford Biggers has also taught art. He was a visiting scholar at Harvard University and an assistant professor at Columbia University.

Awards and Honors

Sanford Biggers has received many awards for his art.

In 2019, he was honored by the New York Foundation for the Arts. In 2010, he won the Greenfield Prize. This award gave him a two-year residency to create new art. This new art became the main part of his 2012 solo exhibition, Sanford Biggers: Codex, at the Ringling Museum.

He also received the William H. Johnson Prize in 2009. In 2008, he won the Creative Capital Award for Visual Arts.

In 2018, a writer from the New Yorker magazine interviewed Biggers. They talked about how his art influences modern political art and his role in the Black Lives Matter movement. Also in 2018, he received an art award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Most recently, in 2021, Sanford Biggers received the 26th Annual Heinz Award for the Arts.

Art Shows and Exhibitions

Sanford Biggers' art has been shown in many solo and group exhibitions.

Solo Exhibitions

• "Sanford Biggers" — Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Missouri. September 7 - December 30, 2018
• "Selah" — Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, New York. September 7 - October 21, 2017
• "The Pasts They Brought with Them" — Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago, Illinois. February 11 - April 2, 2016
• "Shuffle, Shake - Everson Museum" — Urban Video Project (UVP) and Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York. November 6 - December 27, 2014
• "3 Dollars and Six Dimes" — David Castillo Gallery, Miami, Florida. May 15 - July 5, 2014
• "Vex" — Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, Colorado. June 27–20, 2014
• "Sugar, Pork, Bourbon" — Massimo De Carlo Gallery, Milan, Italy. April 5 - May 18, 2013
• "Dark Star" — Eric Firestone Gallery, East Hampton, New York. July 6–22, 2013
• "Ago" — Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago, Illinois. April 13 - June, 2013
• "The Cartographers Conundrum" — Mass MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts. October 2012
• "Codex" — John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida. March 30 - October 14, 2012
• "Sweet Funk – An Introspective" — The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York. September 23, 2011 - January 8, 2012
• "Cosmic Voodoo Circus" — SculptureCenter, Long Island City, Queens, New York. September 10 - November 28, 2011
• "Moon Medicine" — Museum of Contemporary Arts, Santa Barbara, California. 2010
• "Blossom" — Grand Arts, Kansas City, Missouri September 7 – October 20, 2007

Group Exhibitions

• "Matter" — David Castillo Gallery, Miami, Florida. December 1, 2015 - January 31, 2016
• "Eight Sculptors" — Paula Copper Gallery, New York, New York November 10 –- December 22, 2012
• "2018 Ceremonial Exhibition: Work by new members and recipients of awards" - American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Where His Art Is Kept

Sanford Biggers' artwork is part of the permanent collections in many important museums. This means his art is owned by these museums and can be seen there regularly.

• Studio Museum in Harlem
• Brooklyn Museum
• Museum of Modern Art
• Whitney Museum
• Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Minnesota Museum of American Art
• Walker Art Center
• The Phillips Collection