William Henry Johnson was a painter associated with the Harlem Renaissance. As a young man, he was trained in the European classical style of painting. While in Europe he moved beyond the classical style as modernism became the trending movement. Upon returning to America, Johnson once again transitioned his painting style — this time into the folk-art tradition.

William Henry Johnson was born in Florence, South Carolina in 1901. As part of the Great Migration, he moved to New York City at the age of 17. While working at menial labor jobs, he was able to put himself through art school.

Beginning in 1921, Johnson studied at the prestigious National Academy of Design in New York City. He received instruction that emphasized classical painting, portraiture painting, figure drawing and the use of color in painting.

Like many Black artists of the time, he left for Europe (1926) to seek his fortune. There, he was exposed to the modernist movement. Breaking with tradition, he began to experiment with color and form in new ways that surpassed his classical training. Many of his expressionist paintings from this period focused on landscapes.

While in Europe, Johnson met Holcha Krake, a Danish artist and weaver. They married in 1930 and spent much of the 1930s living in Scandinavia. While there, Johnson became interested in folk-art, in part, because of his exposure to Krake’s philosophy of folk-art and culture.

With war looming over the European continent, Johnson moved back to New York City with his wife in 1938. Upon returning to America, his focus became African American culture. He painted Black life scenes from the urban North to the rural South, often alluding to the Great Migration experience. His subjects included working class people as well as noted historical figures.

At this time, Johnson’s paintings took a dramatic shift toward a folk-art style. He started to utilize simpler contours and flat planes of color. The style was figurative, and Johnson described it as “primitive.” His style shift perplexed many, since it embodied a simplification of style. His paintings were criticized as being crude, and childlike in style. Johnson expressed a desire to create in a way that felt both natural and spiritual that eventually lead to this artistic transformation.

Johnson learned screen-printing while working for the Harlem Community Art Center. This method lent itself to Johnson’s new style of simplified forms, flat planes and bright colors. He often made prints and paintings of the same subject.

William Henry Johnson’s artistic evolution was influenced by his formal education, travels, friendships with fellow artists and love for culture (his own as well as others). Johnson transitioned from a classical to a modernist approach as part of the trending movement of the times. His final style shift to a folk-art style was more personal. Johnson’s artist wife was grounded in the folk-art tradition. Upon returning to America after living in Scandinavia for years, Johnson expressed a desire to portray “his people.” Johnson is most remembered for his style of work during this period. Years of creating and exploring came together in the creation of folk-art portraying the Black community in all aspects of life.

In 1943, at the height of World War II and a time when racial segregation permeated nearly every aspect of American society, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City staged an unprecedented exhibition.

“The work of the students at Hampton Institute is a healthy and promising example of the creative potentiality of the American Negro,” said Victor D’Amico, Director of MoMA’s Educational Program at the time.

Titled Young Negro Art, this exhibition exclusively showcased the works of students from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University). It was a groundbreaking moment, not only for the young artists whose works hung on the walls of one of the world’s most prestigious museums but also for the broader recognition of Black artistic expression in a field that had long marginalized their voices.

At the center of this revolution was Viktor Lowenfeld, an Austrian Jewish art educator who had fled Europe during the Holocaust and joined Hampton’s faculty in 1939.

Lowenfeld brought with him a philosophy that placed deep value on self-expression, cultural heritage and the psychological impact of art. Unlike many art educators of his time, he recognized the unique artistic language of his Black students, encouraging them to draw from their lived experiences, traditions, and ancestral roots.

“Almost all of them, when they attempted to draw, drew white persons and not Negro features,” said Lowenfeld of new art students at Hampton when speaking on how he approaches teaching.

Under his guidance, Hampton’s art department became a nurturing space where students could explore their identities and redefine the narrative of Black creativity.

Among the students profoundly shaped by this environment was Dr. John T. Biggers, who would go on to become one of the most significant muralists of the 20th century. However, in 1943, he was still an emerging artist, refining his craft and discovering the power of visual storytelling.

Dr. Biggers had more works in the show than any other student — 12 works total — and was regarded as “perhaps the most talented” out of all the students in a press release from MoMA regarding the exhibition.

A mural that received mixed reviews was The Dying Soldier: a piece that covered themes surrounding involuntary military service.

“Of the screaming propaganda of John T. Biggers’ picture, the less said is the better” said an art critic from Art News about the mural. Today, the location of Dying Soldier is unknown, and the piece has not been on view to the public since 1957 in Chicago.

The exhibition also included pieces by Annabelle Baker, John Bean, Joseph Mack, Alfred Martin, Junius Redwood, George Spencer, and Frank Steward.

Night Scene, an oil painting by Redwood, was acquired by MoMA, “The subtle opposition of round figures and sack to the stern horizontals of the cart, the deft balance of brand highlights, the freshness of color — these are qualities which artists of far longer training might envy,” said of the painting in the Museum bulletin.

Unfortunately, Redwood could not attend the exhibition because he had been drafted into the navy.

The MoMA exhibition was a watershed moment for Biggers and his peers. It was an acknowledgment that their work — rooted in African American life, spirituality, and resilience — deserved a place on the national stage.

The inclusion of an exhibition exclusively featuring Black student artists from an HBCU in one of the world’s foremost modern art institutions was nothing short of revolutionary. At a time when Black artists were systematically excluded from major galleries and museums, MoMA’s decision to present Young Negro Art signaled a shift, however incremental, toward recognizing the artistic contributions of Black Americans.

For Hampton’s students, the exhibition was more than just a moment of recognition — it was a validation of their artistic vision and cultural identity. In a society that often sought to suppress Black expression, MoMA provided a platform where their voices could be seen and heard.

The significance of this cannot be overstated: these young artists were asserting their place in the canon of American art at a time when few institutions were willing to acknowledge their brilliance.

The student exhibition ran from October 6 through November 28 in 1943. Eighty years later, the legacy of Young Negro Art continues to resonate. The exhibition laid the groundwork for future generations of Black artists, curators, and scholars who continue to challenge the boundaries of representation in the art world. It also serves as a testament to the transformative power of historically Black colleges and universities in fostering artistic excellence.

As contemporary institutions grapple with issues of diversity and inclusion in the arts, the story of the 1943 MoMA exhibition remains a vital reminder: Black artists have always been here, creating, innovating, and shaping culture — long before the art world was ready to recognize them.

Now, the Hampton Museum is further highlighting and honoring Black American art history through an exhibition celebrating Dr. Biggers: John T. Biggers, Dance of Creation, which will be on view starting April 13, 2025.