Sep 21, 2009
May 18, 2009
Sep 21, 2009

Rooftop

Rooftop

1957

Hughie Lee-Smith

(American, 1915–1999)

Oil on masonite

Unframed: 61 x 63.5 cm (24 x 25 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2009.7

Did you know?

Hughie Lee-Smith ran track with fellow student Jesse Owens at East Technical High School in Cleveland.

Description

Trained in Cleveland before launching his mature career in Detroit and New York, Lee-Smith frequently painted isolated—and often solitary—figures amid desolate cityscapes and landscapes. They have pronounced overtones of introspection, which the artist attributed to his experiences as a man of color: "In my case, aloneness, I think, has stemmed from the fact that I’m Black. Unconsciously it has a lot to do with alienation."

Video

On My Mind: Rooftop
See also

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