Shelton Jackson Lee, better known as Spike Lee, was born to academic parents in Atlanta, Georgia. His mother, Jacqueline Carroll, was a teacher of Black literature and arts, while his father, William James Edward Lee III, was a jazz musician and composer. In the 1980s, Spike moved to New York to pursue a masters at the Tisch School of the Arts. He’s been in New York City ever since, producing and directing films that tackle the loaded issues of race relations, urban poverty, and the role of media in contemporary life. “I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to express the views of Black people who otherwise don’t have access to power and the media,” Lee has said. “I have to take advantage of that while I’m still bankable.” Over the years he’s won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Peabody, and many other accolades. Presenting 450 works from Lee’s personal collection, this exhibition explores the themes he usually tackles on the screen. Works by Kehinde Wiley, Deborah Roberts, and Michael Ray Charles round out the show. —Elena Clavarino