Hughie Lee-Smith (1915-1999)
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African American Artist, Hughie Lee-Smith, was born in Eustis, Florida. He lived with his grandmother in Atlanta for a portion of his childhood, and the carnivals he saw there provided him with the colorful imagery seen in his artwork later in his life. Lee-Smith attended several institutions including the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Institute of Art and the John Huntington Polytechnic Institute, the Art School of the Detroit Society of Arts & Crafts (Center For Creative Studies, College of Art & Design). Eventually, he earned his Bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Lee-Smith taught art for 15 years at Art Students League in New York City. His early works were inspired by the Great Depression and the art developed by the Works Progress Administration. Cubism, Social Realism, and Surrealism were a huge influence to Lee-Smith’s painting. Lee-Smith's works are included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Museum of American Art, the Detroit Institute of Art, Howard University, and Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Manhattan.