Lee Godie: Chicago Outsider Artist

Posted by Meg Nola Sep 19, 2008

The fascinating life of artist Lee Godie began in 1908, when she was born Jamot Emily Godie in Chicago. Before the 1960s -- when she first began selling her paintings in front of Chicago’s Art Institute -- Lee was perhaps married thrice and had children, although actual facts remain a mystery. What is true is that around 1968, Lee started to offer her brightly colored canvases to passersby and art patrons whom she felt would be suitable purchasers. She proclaimed herself Lee Godie - French Impressionist, and noted how she was "much better than Cezanne."

Lee was homeless yet had an eccentric flair and knew how to market herself. She painted her face with the same colorful stylings as her art, and she wore unusual self-created fashions -- fabric swatches wrapped around her body like dresses, old fur coat collars, men’s shoes, all generally topped off with a felt hat. Trousers and jeans were not part of Lee's eclectic wardobe, however, as she considered them unfeminine. Through the years, Lee became a Michigan Avenue fixture and found that her drawings and paintings were attracting considerable attention. While she initially would accept $5 for her work, Lee eventually would ask for and receive over $100 per piece. Now, according to Chicago gallery owner Carl Hammer, Lee’s artwork could fetch amounts in the realm of $15,000.

While Lee made Michigan Avenue her own outdoor gallery and used the Art Institute’s collection for inspiration, being homeless made her vulnerable to thugs and she was occasionally robbed and abused. She still preferred life on the streets, however, even braving Chicago’s inhospitable winters. Towards the end of her days, she was reunited with a long-lost daughter and ultimately moved with her to the suburbs. Godie developed Alzheimer’s and passed away in 1994, a true creative entrepreneur and free spirit. Godie’s work can be seen in an exhibit at Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art through January 2009, and you might even be able to glimpse her ghost on the steps of the Art Institute -- dancing and singing and keeping an eye out for her next appreciative patron.