Annie Lee, artist, humanitarian and friend of the Tom Joyner Morning Show, has died and the loss leaves a huge void in the Black creative space. Ms. Lee was an internationally recognized artist whose work depicted varying scenes of the African-American experience.
Lee, born in Gadsden, Ala. in 1935, was raised primarily in Chicago, Ill. She and her brother were taught how to knit, sew, cook and fend for themselves by their brothers. By the time she was in elementary school, Lee’s fascination with art began to yield results. She won a semester-long scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago by way of a contest and continued her art through high school.
Her skills as an artist developed to such a level that Northwestern University offered Lee a four-year scholarship. Lee opted instead for marriage and family, and never attended the school. Tragedy would visit Lee via the loss of her first and second husband, whom with she had a daughter and a son respectively. Focusing instead of caring for her family, Lee didn’t pursue art again until she was 40 years old.
While working at a local railroad station as a clerk, Lee attended night classes at Loyola University and eventually earned a Master’s degree. In 1985, she had her first gallery showing and it was such a success that she sold out in just four hours. While most artists would have dove right into a full-time art career, Lee preferred the security of her job at the railroad.
But after Lee’s son died in 1986 it prompted her to leave the railroad job and fully embrace her talents. The decision would catapult Lee to the heights of the global arts community. One of Lee’s most famous works, “Blue Monday,” was inspired by the events of her own life. The painting depicts a woman struggling to leave her bed for the daily commute and drudgery of the workday, something Lee contended with during her days as the lead clerk at the railroad.
Lee’s work has also appeared on the sets of television and film productions such as 227, A Different World, Coming To America and Boomerang, among others. Lee’s business, Annie Lee’s Gifts, is a one-stop shop featuring much of her work On the site, she names herself as a humorist and realist, with her artwork becoming known as “Black Americana.” She also explained via her website that the use of the faceless figures helped her paintings tell their own stories, and that “Blue Monday” was her only self-portrait.
Lee left Chicago some time ago, choosing Las Vegas as her home as it allowed her the joy of painting in the outdoors. Lee also worked closely with The Tom Joyner Foundation, establishing her distinction as a humanitarian while graciously sharing her knowledge with anyone she encountered.
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