Revelations: The Art of Leo Twiggs
Leon Twiggs, age 92, is an American painter and educator whose paintings utilize a variation of the batik process that he began experimenting with in 1964.
Despite his legacy as a trailblazer, Leo Twiggs has never had a full retrospective in his home state of South Carolina. The Gibbes aims to remedy that by celebrating his visionary career, showcasing his iconic Batik technique and profound reflections on the American experience across six decades of work. Guest-curated by art historian Dr. Frank Martin, the exhibition—accompanied by a full-color catalogue—will mark the 50th anniversary of Twiggs’ first solo show at the Gibbes in 1976. Now, a half-century later, this new exhibition comes at a national crossroads as America commemorates its 250th anniversary. The exhibit is on view January 30 through May 3.
In his own words:
The whole point is that we are all on this boat together. We either sink, or we swim by making this experiment work. At this 250th anniversary, when we have come so far together in this country, this retrospective is not just about me — it’s about us, our shared American experience. I like to create questions with my work, which weaves in and out of this American narrative. And you cannot pass through the 250 years of American history without passing through Charleston. Leo Twiggs
The nationally acclaimed artist and educator was the first African American student to receive a Doctorate from the University of Georgia, and the first visual artist to receive the Governor’s Trophy for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts in South Carolina (the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Award).
His many accolades include: the Order of the Palmetto (South Carolina’s highest civilian honor); the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art/Gibbes Museum of Art; and was inducted in 2020 into the South Carolina Hall of Fame.
At South Carolina State University Dr. Twiggs taught from 1973 until 1998. During his tenure at the university, he started the Art Department and was instrumental in opening and serving as the Director of the I. P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium on campus. Twiggs was named professor emeritus in 2000.
-Submitted by the Gibbes Museum
(Image credit: Gibbes Museum)