Edited by Dara Jaffe, Stacey Allan. Foreword by Bill Kramer. Text by Terence Blanchard, Kim Coleman, Cheryl Dunye, Giancarlo Esposito, Isaac Julien, Rosie Perez, Patrik-Ian Polk, Dee Rees, Roger Guenveur Smith, Martine Syms, Wynn Thomas. Interview by Shaka King. Afterword by Spike Lee.
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) and brief texts by some of the many artists Lee himself has inspired. Spike Lee (born 1957) is a director, writer, actor, producer, author and artistic director of the graduate film program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he has taught since 1993.
“Sal’s Famous Pizzaria” shirt worn by Spike Lee as Mookie in 'Do the Right Thing,' from 'Spike Lee: Director's Inspiration,' published by DelMonico Books and Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
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David Terrien
A polished and affecting celebration of the young Brooklyn student filmmaker who has gone on to become a legend of American cinema.
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Featured spreads are from Spike Lee: Director’s Inspiration, the new release from DelMonico Books and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, where the critically-acclaimed exhibition is on view through September 25, 2022. Collecting objects, photographs, posters and artworks from Lee's personal collection, alongside texts by an amazing list of other artists and inspirational figures—including Isaac Julien, Rosie Perez, Roger Guenveur Smith and Martine Syms, to name a few—the book also includes an illuminating interview with Judas and the Black Messiah director Shaka King, who notes how many Black artists and filmmakers stand on Lee's shoulders. Lee's response: "The same way I stand on those individual shoulders that went before me. And Shaka, I’m going to speak to you right now. I’m talking right to you, brother. You and I, and many of us, understand that if we tap into the power, and the spirit, and the love, and the vision of our ancestors—I’m not trying to be flippant or be a comedian, this is some serious talk. This has really helped me. I’m aware that my ancestors—your ancestors—went through holy hell when that first slave ship docked in 1619 in Jamestown, Virginia. They went through stuff we can only imagine. For me, anytime I’ve been down in my spirit, I turn that shit around and think about what my ancestors went through. When I do that, it’s like—and I’m speaking to myself here: 'Spike, you down about this? This is some bullshit.' I’m like, 'Man, pick your head up, get your shoulders straight, and keep it moving.' I see it work. I saw that with this film. Your great film that’s being recognized. And I want to make this broad and not just African American. No matter who you are. We all came from somewhere. You didn’t just show up and the world began. If we do the homework, and we’re open to understanding that we’re here because of other people, our ancestors, then we have our powers. Again, I’m not saying that’s going to be easy, but you have the armor to get through anything." Book photos by IN-FO.CO. continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 8.25 x 10 in. / 192 pgs / 160 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $39.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $49.95 GBP £31.99 ISBN: 9781636810133 PUBLISHER: DelMonico Books/Academy Museum of Motion Pictures AVAILABLE: 9/13/2022 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD
Published by DelMonico Books/Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Edited by Dara Jaffe, Stacey Allan. Foreword by Bill Kramer. Text by Terence Blanchard, Kim Coleman, Cheryl Dunye, Giancarlo Esposito, Isaac Julien, Rosie Perez, Patrik-Ian Polk, Dee Rees, Roger Guenveur Smith, Martine Syms, Wynn Thomas. Interview by Shaka King. Afterword by Spike Lee.
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) and brief texts by some of the many artists Lee himself has inspired.
Spike Lee (born 1957) is a director, writer, actor, producer, author and artistic director of the graduate film program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he has taught since 1993.
