Spike Lee: Creative Sources Spike Lee

Take a rare glimpse into the world of Spike Lee (born Atlanta, Georgia, 1957; raised in Brooklyn, New York), one of the most influential and prolific American filmmakers and directors. Through an immersive installation of objects drawn from Lee's personal collection, visitors will discover the sources of inspiration that have fueled his creative output.

Reverberations can be found between items that have been touchpoints for Lee and the topics he explores on-screen. Seven throughlines of his life and oeuvre—Black history and culture, Brooklyn, sports, music, cinema history, family, and politics—are explored with more than three hundred 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.

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. 

Special thanks to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, especially Dara Jaffe, Associate Curator.