Spike Lee’s ties to Brooklyn are legendary. The filmmaker grew up in Fort Greene, where he also established its production offices, while his films centered neighborhoods from Bed-Stuy to Red Hook, all filmed on location. And there is his famous broadside 2014 against the scourge of gentrification which has, among other things, revealed his deep love for the town. “You have to come with respect,” he said. “There is a code. There are some people.
For all of his deep Brooklyn roots, however, the borough 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 (until February 4, 2024).
The show promises an immersive journey through the director’s creative process and the sources of inspiration that ignited his four-decade film career. More than 300 objects will be presented, not limited to paintings, accessories, musical instruments, photographs, album covers and film posters taken from Lee’s personal collection (which was previously featured at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in 2021).
The exhibition, said Kimberli Gant, the museum’s modern and contemporary art curator who co-curated it, will offer “a new perspective on a cultural icon, focusing on the individuals and influences that shaped the work of Spike Lee, which is so well known today.”
“Creative Sources” will be divided into seven segments. Aside from Lee’s beloved neighborhood, he will delve into black history and culture, sports, music, film history, family and politics – motifs that have fueled his cinematic storytelling at through movies do the right thing (1989) at Malcolm X (1992) at BlacKkKlansman (2018).
Each section will feature an excerpt from one of Lee’s films, with the installation illustrating its thematic underpinnings. His 2020 war drama, Da 5 Bloods, for example, is associated with World War II and Vietnam War propaganda posters featuring cruel stereotypes of black American soldiers. Lee’s satire in 2000, Bambooswhich caustically criticized the minstrel, will also be shown with its original inspiration, the powerful work of Michael Ray Charles Always Free (Bamboozled) (1997).
Other objects testify to Lee’s embrace of black excellence. There’s Prince’s iconic “Love Symbol” guitar, a painting commissioned by Kehinde Wiley centering on Jackie Robinson, and images of black creators such as actress Lena Horne and writer James Baldwin whose work encompassed the struggle for civil rights.
Notably, Brooklyn is depicted here as a place that shaped Lee and, in turn, was shaped by Lee. The exhibition revisits the scenographies of his films centered on Brooklyn, in particular do the right thing And She must have it (1986), supplemented by photographs of Tseng Kwong Chi and David Lee, Spike’s younger brother.
“By making Lee’s collection accessible to the public,” said Gant, “this showcase celebrates his legacy while honoring his deep connection to Brooklyn, a place that is integral to his storytelling.”
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