Alexander Brooks Jackson (April 18, 1925 – March 23, 1981) [1] was an American painter.
Jackson was born in New Haven, Connecticut, the son of a black father and an English mother who was born in Manchester, England. [2] [3] He earned BFA and MFA degrees from Yale University, studying with Josef Albers [4] in the mid-1950s. Before entering the teaching field, he spent three years as a designer in the Watson-Manning Advertising Agency in Stratford, Connecticut.
He taught briefly at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1955, before moving to Norfolk, Virginia in 1956. [1] In 1967, after teaching 10 years at Norfolk State, he joined Old Dominion University (ODU) as a full professor and its first black faculty member.
During his teaching years, Jackson also exhibited his art in many local and neighboring venues. [5] After being denied entry to the Virginia Beach Boardwalk Art show in 1962 because of his race, he won best-in-show there in 1966. [3] He received significant attention in 1968 when several of his drawings were included in a Smithsonian Institution traveling art exhibition. [5]
Influenced by Rembrandt, Jackson worked in a range of materials, including watercolors, pastels, charcoal and acrylic. [6] His series of paintings "The Porch People" depicts anonymous sitters on their porches in Ghent, the district of Norfolk, Virginia, where he lived. His book As I See Ghent: A Visual Essay was published in 1979. [1] [3]
Jackson died in 1981 at the age of 55.
He is represented in the permanent collections of:
Passerby: An A.B. Jackson Retrospective showed at ODU's Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries from May 23 to August 2, 2015. [7]
Jackson was the maternal grandfather of professional American football quarterback Russell Wilson. [2]
Alexander Brooks Jackson (April 18, 1925 – March 23, 1981) [1] was an American painter.
Jackson was born in New Haven, Connecticut, the son of a black father and an English mother who was born in Manchester, England. [2] [3] He earned BFA and MFA degrees from Yale University, studying with Josef Albers [4] in the mid-1950s. Before entering the teaching field, he spent three years as a designer in the Watson-Manning Advertising Agency in Stratford, Connecticut.
He taught briefly at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1955, before moving to Norfolk, Virginia in 1956. [1] In 1967, after teaching 10 years at Norfolk State, he joined Old Dominion University (ODU) as a full professor and its first black faculty member.
During his teaching years, Jackson also exhibited his art in many local and neighboring venues. [5] After being denied entry to the Virginia Beach Boardwalk Art show in 1962 because of his race, he won best-in-show there in 1966. [3] He received significant attention in 1968 when several of his drawings were included in a Smithsonian Institution traveling art exhibition. [5]
Influenced by Rembrandt, Jackson worked in a range of materials, including watercolors, pastels, charcoal and acrylic. [6] His series of paintings "The Porch People" depicts anonymous sitters on their porches in Ghent, the district of Norfolk, Virginia, where he lived. His book As I See Ghent: A Visual Essay was published in 1979. [1] [3]
Jackson died in 1981 at the age of 55.
He is represented in the permanent collections of:
Passerby: An A.B. Jackson Retrospective showed at ODU's Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries from May 23 to August 2, 2015. [7]
Jackson was the maternal grandfather of professional American football quarterback Russell Wilson. [2]