Lee Godie: A 20 Year Retrospective - August 20th, 2024
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Lee Godie is one of Chicago’s most widely collected artists. Godie rose to prominence on the steps of The Art Institute of Chicago where she hawked drawings and paintings to students and museum visitors. Proclaiming herself a “French Impressionist,” Godie established a ubiquitous presence throughout the streets of downtown Chicago where she lived and worked from the late 1960s until her death in 1994.
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) included Godie’s paintings in the exhibition “Art in Chicago” (1979). Godie began working with Carl Hammer Gallery in 1991; here, she staged two exhibitions: “Lee Godie: Drawings and Paintings” (1991) and “Lee Godie: French Impressionist” (1993). The year before her death, the Chicago Cultural Center presented “Artist - Lee Godie: A 20 Year Retrospective” (1993), curated by Michael Bonesteel. The present catalog was printed for the occasion.
A quote on Carl Hammer Gallery's website reads “As intentionally as she became a French Impressionist, Lee Godie became a famous artist…When asked about her birthdate, she replied ‘I don't celebrate my birthday, I celebrate my status as an artist.’”
In 1991, Chicago's Mayor Daley proclaimed September "Lee Godie Exhibition Month".
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) included Godie’s paintings in the exhibition “Art in Chicago” (1979). Godie began working with Carl Hammer Gallery in 1991; here, she staged two exhibitions: “Lee Godie: Drawings and Paintings” (1991) and “Lee Godie: French Impressionist” (1993). The year before her death, the Chicago Cultural Center presented “Artist - Lee Godie: A 20 Year Retrospective” (1993), curated by Michael Bonesteel. The present catalog was printed for the occasion.
A quote on Carl Hammer Gallery's website reads “As intentionally as she became a French Impressionist, Lee Godie became a famous artist…When asked about her birthdate, she replied ‘I don't celebrate my birthday, I celebrate my status as an artist.’”
In 1991, Chicago's Mayor Daley proclaimed September "Lee Godie Exhibition Month".