Lee Grantham
Right up There with God, 1986
Lee Grantham (b. 1953 Winchester, IN ) is an artist based in Milwaukee. After serving in the Navy in 1974, he studied Fine Arts at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Influenced by the Chicago Imagists, Grantham creates energetic acrylic paintings often painted reverse on Plexiglass. Grantham’s unique visual language is energetic, nostalgic, and obsessive, as he stylizes his vision of pop culture from the 50s to the 80s to the present day.
John Maloof (of Vivian Maier fame) recently rediscovered one of Grantham’s paintings at an antique dealer, and tracked him down. Grantham has been creating works in Milwaukee for decades without much notice. After this discovery, Jean Albano Gallery has begun representing the artist (2018).
*the cross bares 9 post cards of Chicago Imagist works, from L to R; Ed Pashke, Roger Brown, Art Green, Gladys Nilsson, Suellen Rocca, Jim Nutt, Christina Ramberg, Ray Yoshida, & Karl Wirsum.