Wesley Duke Lee

Wesley Duke Lee was born in São Paulo in 1931 and became a prominent draftsman, printmaker, graphic artist, and teacher. He began his studies in free drawing at the Museum of Art of São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (Masp) in 1951. In 1952, he traveled to the United States, where he studied at Parson's School of Design and the American Institute of Graphic Arts in New York until 1955. During this time, he encountered the early manifestations of pop art and works by artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, and Cy Twombly.

Upon returning to Brazil in 1957, Wesley left advertising to fully dedicate himself to art. He became a student of painter Karl Plattner, working with him in São Paulo and later in Italy and Austria. Wesley also lived in Paris, where he attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and studied at Johnny Friedlaender's studio. In 1960, he returned to Brazil and became actively involved in the art scene.

In 1963, Wesley began collaborating with young artists like Carlos Fajardo, Frederico Nasser, José Resende, and Luiz Paulo Baravelli. That same year, he organized one of Brazil's first happenings, The Great Art Spectacle, at João Sebastião Bar in São Paulo. Wesley sought to organize the artistic movement of magical realism, working alongside Maria Cecília, Bernardo Cid, Otto Stupakoff, and Pedro Manuel-Gismondi, among others. In 1966, he co-founded the Grupo Rex with Nelson Leirner, Geraldo de Barros, José Resende, Carlos Fajardo, and Frederico Nasser as a critical response to the art market, a group that existed until 1967.

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