Spike Lee: Creative Sources — Major Exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum

Spike Lee's ties to Brooklyn are historic. The filmmaker grew up in Fort Greene, where he also established his production offices, while his films have centered on neighborhoods from Bed-Stuy to Red Hook, all shot on location. And then there's his famous 2014 attack on the scourge of gentrification, which, among other things, revealed his deep love for the neighborhood. “You have to come with respect,” he said. “There is a code. There are people.”

For all of its deep Brooklyn roots, though, the neighborhood has yet to host a major Lee exhibit. But that's about to change when "Spike Lee: Creative Sources" opens at the Brooklyn Museum on October 6 (through February 4, 2024).

The exhibition promises an immersive journey through the director's creative process and sources of inspiration that ignited his four-decade film career. More than 300 objects will be featured, not limited to paintings, props, musical instruments, photographs, album covers and movie posters taken from Lee's personal collection (which was previously on display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in 2021).

The exhibition, said Kimberli Gant, curator of modern and contemporary art at the museum that co-hosted it, will offer "a fresh perspective on a cultural icon, focusing on the individuals and influences that shaped Spike Lee's body of work, which is so well known today.”

“Creative Sources” will be divided into seven segments. Leaving Lee's beloved neighborhood aside, he will delve into black history and culture, sports, music, film history, family and politics - motives that fueled his cinematic storytelling in films from "Do the Right Thing" (1989) to " Malcolm X” (1992) to “BlacKkKlansman” (2018).

Other objects speak of Lee's acceptance of black excellence. There's Prince's iconic "Love Symbol" guitar, a commissioned painting by Kehinde Wiley centering on Jackie Robinson, and images of black creatives such as actress Lena Horne and writer James Baldwin, whose work spanned the fight for civil rights.

Not least, Brooklyn is represented here as a place that shaped Lee and, in turn, was shaped by Lee. The exhibition revisits the sets of his Brooklyn-centric films, including “Do the Right Thing” and “She's Gotta Have It” (1986), complete with photographs by Tseng Kwong Chi and David Lee, Spike's younger brother.

"By making Lee's collection accessible to the public," Gant said, "this showcase celebrates his legacy while honoring his deep connection to Brooklyn, a place that has been an integral part of his narrative."

Source: Artnet News