1940–2007
Works in the Collection
Biography
John Turrell Scott was an American sculptor, painter, printmaker, collagist, and MacArthur Fellow. The works of Scott meld abstraction with contemporary techniques infused with references to traditional African arts and Panafrican themes. Scott was born on a farm in Gentilly, LA in 1940. He received his B.A. from Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans and his M.A. from Michigan State University. Upon graduating from MSU, Scott returned to Xavier where he taught for 40 years. His students include acclaimed artists, Carl Joe Williams and Steve Prince. In 1992, Scott was awarded the McArthur “Genius” grant, which he used to build a larger studio that allowed him to produce monumental, site-specific installations, such as Sprit Gates at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Scott passed away in 2007.
John T. Scott’s work has been exhibited at a number of institutions, including Bill Hodges Gallery, Arthur Roger Gallery, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the Louisiana Endowment for Humanities, and others. His work is also in the collections of Fisk University, Loyola University, Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and many more.