A new exhibition, which is ongoing until the 4th of February, 2024, offers a rare glimpse into the world of Spike Lee — filmmaker, iconoclast and, most importantly, disruptor.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Spike Lee is an American — proudly African American — filmmaker whose work spans the decades and has pretty much provided a cinematic landscape of my years in the United States. He’s as New York as they come, and going by his 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks offices in Brooklyn used to be a fave detour in Fort Greene.
Now, the Brooklyn Museum has dedicated an entire exhibition to the maestro of indie New York cinema and you can find his inspirations, passions and prided possessions all under one roof.
The exhibition is titled ‘Spike Lee: Creative Sources’ and the online description points out: “Throughlines of his life and oeuvre—Black history and culture, Brooklyn, sports, music, cinema history, and family—are explored with more than 450 works drawn from his personal collection. Artworks by prominent Black American artists, including Kehinde Wiley, Deborah Roberts, and Michael Ray Charles, are displayed alongside instruments once owned by legendary musicians, as well as historical photographs, sports and movie memorabilia, and more. Together they reveal the connections among the people, places, and ideas that have fueled Lee’s incisive storytelling.”
From neon signs, featuring Lee’s most famous lines, to film posters, from sports paraphernalia and even props from some of his films, you will find yourself immersed in Lee’s world. A place where people get it right.
If you doubt his greatness, at any time, it’s enough to sit down to rewatch films like Lee masterpieces Malcolm X — which last year celebrated thirty years! — and Inside Man to rediscover his true genius. No one blends images, ideas, acting and music as Spike Lee does. No one.
Here is Lee’s speech from the 91st Academy Awards, where the filmmaker accepted the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for BlacKkKlansman. And here is a page dedicated to his speeches, which becomes an audio guide to the exhibition.
During the run of the exhibition, there will also be guided tours, special talks and wonderful events focusing on the small in stature yet mighty in talent Lee. He’s a force of nature, and if you’ve ever come across him, you realize that his power, his intellect and his talent are all great.
While it is great to go through the halls of this fascinating exhibition, it is also worthwhile to exit through the gift shop. Here is a taste of things to get, so you can too become a bit more cool.
‘Spike Lee: Creative Sources’ is organized by Kimberli Gant, Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art, with Indira A. Abiskaroon, Curatorial Assistant, Modern and Contemporary Art, Brooklyn Museum. Major support was provided by Rolex, with the Ford Foundation providing leadership support for the exhibition.
Images courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum, used with permission.