Photography from Spike Lee: Creative Sources at Brooklyn Museum.

Photography: Spike Lee: Creative Sources, Brooklyn Musuem 12/9/23

Spike Lee: Creative Sources, the latest exhibit at Brooklyn Museum offers viewers a rare glimpse into the world of Spike Lee, one of the more influential and prolific American filmmakers and directors. Through an immersive and extensive installation of objects and memorabilia drawn from the Brooklyn-based filmmaker and director’s personal collectors, visitors will discover the sources of inspiration that have fueled his creative output.

Reverberations and conversations can be found between items that have been touchpoint for Lee and many of the topics he has explored on-screen. Some of the major throughlines of his life and work — Black history and culture, Brooklyn, sports, music, cinema history and family — are explored with more than 450 works drawn from his personal collection. Artwork by prominent and rising Black American artists, including Kehinde Wiley, Deborah Roberts and Michael Ray Charles are displayed alongside historical photographs, sports and movie memorabilia, instruments and other artifacts owned by legendary artists and more.

All of these items reveal the connections among the people, places and ideas that have informed Lee’s storytelling.

The exhibit is open until February 4, 2024. If you love sports, music, Brooklyn, Black people, Black art, and Spike Lee’s work, this one is a revelatory must-see.