Wesley Duke Lee

Brazilian-American, b. 1931

Grandson of American missionaries and Brazilian merchants of Portuguese descent, Wesley Duke Lee grew up in São Paulo. His training began at the Museo de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP) and in 1951 he enrolled at the Parsons School of Design to study graphic arts. In New York, Lee met Marcel Duchamp, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns and John Cage, who significantly informed his practice. In 1960 he formed the realismo magico (magic realism) movement in São Paulo, which initiated a return to figurative painting. In 1963 Lee organised one of the first happenings to take place in Brazil titled The Great Spectacle of the Arts in the landmark Bar João Sebastião, a Bossa Nova meeting place for cultural activists. In 1966, alongside Nelson Leirner, Geraldo de Barros and others, he founded the Grupo REX and REX Gallery (1966–7). REX sought to propose an alternative to the existing market system and offered a programme of free exhibitions, as well as a bimonthly bulletin.

Sources:
Photo: http://g1.globo.com/pop-arte/noticia/2010/09/morre-em-sao-paulo-o-artista-plastico-wesley-duke-lee.html
Text: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/ey-exhibition-world-goes-pop/artist-biography/wesley-duke-lee