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Spike Lee: Director’s Inspiration
An inspirational trove of film posters and ephemera, photographs, artwork and more from the collection of Spike Lee
For nearly four decades, Spike Lee has made movies that demand our attention. His extensive filmography reflects an unflinching critique of race relations in the United States, from the Student Academy Award®–winning short Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads and the ever-relevant Do the Right Thing to the more recent Oscar®-winning BlacKkKlansman and Da 5 Bloods. A lifelong cinephile and film scholar, Lee draws inspiration from other artists working across a range of eras, genres and global cinemas. He has also devoted much of his career to teaching the next generation of filmmakers.
Spike Lee: Director’s Inspiration presents Lee’s personal collection of original film posters and objects, photographs, artworks and more―many of these inscribed to Lee personally by filmmakers, stars, athletes, activists, musicians and others who have inspired his work in specific ways.
Straight from the walls of Lee’s 40 Acres and a Mule production studio in Brooklyn, his faculty office at NYU and his Martha’s Vineyard home, these objects offer a glimpse into what shapes Lee’s signature filmmaking approach. Spike Lee: Director’s Inspiration also includes a conversation between Lee and Shaka King (Judas and the Black Messiah), Lee's list of 95 essential films and brief texts by some of the many artists Lee himself has inspired.
For nearly four decades, Spike Lee has made movies that demand our attention. His extensive filmography reflects an unflinching critique of race relations in the United States, from the Student Academy Award®–winning short Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads and the ever-relevant Do the Right Thing to the more recent Oscar®-winning BlacKkKlansman and Da 5 Bloods. A lifelong cinephile and film scholar, Lee draws inspiration from other artists working across a range of eras, genres and global cinemas. He has also devoted much of his career to teaching the next generation of filmmakers.
Spike Lee: Director’s Inspiration presents Lee’s personal collection of original film posters and objects, photographs, artworks and more―many of these inscribed to Lee personally by filmmakers, stars, athletes, activists, musicians and others who have inspired his work in specific ways.
Straight from the walls of Lee’s 40 Acres and a Mule production studio in Brooklyn, his faculty office at NYU and his Martha’s Vineyard home, these objects offer a glimpse into what shapes Lee’s signature filmmaking approach. Spike Lee: Director’s Inspiration also includes a conversation between Lee and Shaka King (Judas and the Black Messiah), Lee's list of 95 essential films and brief texts by some of the many artists Lee himself has inspired.
- GenresArt
192 pages, Hardcover
Published May 3, 2022
38 people want to read
About the author
Spike Lee
79 books95 followersShelton Jackson Lee, better known as Spike Lee, is an Emmy Award - winning, and Academy Award - nominated American film director, producer, writer, and actor noted for his films dealing with controversial social and political issues. He also teaches film at New York University and Columbia University. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 3, 2023
Very inspiring, insightful and opening to Spike’s mind, imagination and career.
November 5, 2024
This is a good companion to the SPIKE LEE exhibition at the ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES.
Spike is the first subject of ‘Director's Inspiration’, a series within ‘Stories of Cinema’ that spotlights preeminent directors, their filmographies, their collaborations, and the influences behind their work.
“Spike's personal collection of film posters, prized objects, signed memorabilia, and other ephemera offers a glimpse into his process. These materials, selected by Spike himself, pay homage to the directors, actors, athletes, musicians, and activists who have inspired him, capturing the cultural and political forces that have given rise to his vital body of work.” Academy Director and President BILL KRAMER
As the description goes it is indeed “An inspirational trove of film posters and ephemera, photographs, artwork and more from the collection of Spike Lee for nearly four decades.”
This is mostly a “picture book” featuring Spike’s film memorabilia over the years.
It starts with a great interview by filmmaker SHAKA KING and Spike Lee about his career and influences. Also throughout the book are essays about Spike from a lot of his collaborators and artists he influenced over the years.
This is a really good “coffee table” book and companion to the exhibition where you get to see how invested in the art of cinema Spike truly is.
P.S.: I saw a version of the exhibition featured here in New York at the BROOKLYN MUSEUM. It was called “Spike Lee: Creative Sources” and it was really great.
Below is the description from the museum.
Spike Lee: Creative Sources
October 7, 2023–February 11, 2024
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. 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.
Spike is the first subject of ‘Director's Inspiration’, a series within ‘Stories of Cinema’ that spotlights preeminent directors, their filmographies, their collaborations, and the influences behind their work.
“Spike's personal collection of film posters, prized objects, signed memorabilia, and other ephemera offers a glimpse into his process. These materials, selected by Spike himself, pay homage to the directors, actors, athletes, musicians, and activists who have inspired him, capturing the cultural and political forces that have given rise to his vital body of work.” Academy Director and President BILL KRAMER
As the description goes it is indeed “An inspirational trove of film posters and ephemera, photographs, artwork and more from the collection of Spike Lee for nearly four decades.”
This is mostly a “picture book” featuring Spike’s film memorabilia over the years.
It starts with a great interview by filmmaker SHAKA KING and Spike Lee about his career and influences. Also throughout the book are essays about Spike from a lot of his collaborators and artists he influenced over the years.
This is a really good “coffee table” book and companion to the exhibition where you get to see how invested in the art of cinema Spike truly is.
P.S.: I saw a version of the exhibition featured here in New York at the BROOKLYN MUSEUM. It was called “Spike Lee: Creative Sources” and it was really great.
Below is the description from the museum.
Spike Lee: Creative Sources
October 7, 2023–February 11, 2024
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. 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.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews