Lee Godie

Outsider artist. Bag lady. Chicago celebrity. Vagrant. Lee Godie was all of things, and- in her own words- a famous french impressionist. She surfaced on the sidewalk in front of the art Institute of Chicago in her sixties, full of piss and vinegar and ready to sell her artwork.

Her paintings (done mostly on salvaged canvases, and kept in a locker at the bus depot), are wonderfully vibrant and hilarious. But they don't even scratch the surface of the humor found in her photo booth self portraits.

Like what a playdate with Cindy Sherman and amy sedaris would look like. Her sanity was frequently questioned, but I'll never understand why.