Annie Lee

Annie Lee Painter and decorative artist, Annie Lee is well known for her realistic and humorous portrayals of contemporary and historical African American family life. Since her first gallery show in 1985, during which her paintings sold out in the first four hours of the show, Lee has enjoyed resounding success. In particular, her paintings "Blue Monday" and "Six No Uptown" struck a chord with viewers. They have been consistent best sellers and a springboard to Lee's wide-ranging artistic endeavors. Lee was born in Gadsden, Alabama in 1935 and raised in Chicago. She grew up in a family that expected girls and boys alike to learn survival skills, so her mother, a seamstress, taught her and her older brother Tony to cook, wash, clean, and sew. While listening to the popular radio shows of the time, like The Lone Ranger and The Shadow, Annie also learned to knit, crochet, and draw. At age ten, she took up painting. Immediately she demonstrated talent, winning recognition at art contests and several free semesters of lessons at the Art Institute of Chicago. While a high school student, the energetic Lee both honed her artistic skills and urged on the Wendell Phillips High School football team as part of the cheerleading squad. Although she was offered a four-year scholarship to study art at Northwestern University, Lee opted to marry and raise a family. Lee did not resume painting until she was 40 years old. By then she had lost two husbands to cancer and raised a daughter from her first marriage and a son from her second. While working as the chief clerk at Northwestern Railroad, in the department that ensures the safety of the train tracks, Lee decided to study art at night. Although she never intended to teach, after eight years of night classes, she earned a masters degree in interdisciplinary arts education from Loyola University. In December of 1986 tragedy befell Lee when her son died in an automobile accident. While on leave from work to grieve, she decided to take a risk: she would give up the financial security of her day job to pursue her dream of painting full-time.

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Annie Lee