Lee Godie

Lee Godie (born Jamot Emily Godee; September 1, 1908 – March 2, 1994 ) was an American self-taught artist who was active in Chicago during the late 1960s until around the early 1990s. She was a prolific artist who was known for her paintings and modified photos which are shown in galleries and museums such as the Hayward Gallery in London and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Some consider her Chicago's most collected artist.

Life Godie was born in Chicago. She and her ten siblings were raised in a Christian Scientist household. Her family lived in a small house on the Northwest side; she slept in the attic with her sisters.

Lee Godie was notoriously wary of divulging personal information about herself. She was married twice and had four children. It was possible that she had once wanted to be a singer, but wasn't allowed by one of her husbands. Living outdoors seemed to be by choice, since she had quite a lot of money saved and did not seem to enjoy being indoors.

Godie was a self-styled French Impressionist and believed her work to be as significant as Paul Cézanne's. She was particular about whom she sold her art to and even to whom she spoke, preferring to interact with "artists". and she incorporated performance, such as song and dance, into the process of selling and making her art. The transaction of buying her art from Godie was considered "part of the magic, even part of the art itself". Her portraits were often personal: she drew herself, friends, passersby and famous individuals. She also created "archetypal characters... part cultural icon, part personal symbolism". Her photographs are often considered her most "highly regarded, inventive work". The proclamation in part reads: