Baldwin Lee, a first-generation Chinese American, was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in Manhattan’s Chinatown. He began his photographic journey studying under the renowned photographer Minor White at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned his undergraduate degree. Later, he pursued an MFA at the Yale School of Art, studying with the legendary Walker Evans.In 1982, Lee became the inaugural Director of Photography in the Art Department at the University of Tennessee. The following year, armed with a 4×5 view camera, he embarked on a transformative journey through the American South. This project was both a homage to his mentor Walker Evans—who documented the region during the 1930s and 1940s—and an exploration of his own artistic voice. Unlike Evans, whose work largely depicted the rural poor during the Great Depression, Lee focused on capturing the lives and experiences of Black Americans, many of whom lived on the margins of society. Over a period of seven years, Lee traversed thousands of miles across the South, producing nearly 10,000 images. His work stands as one of the most significant visual records of the region in the latter half of the 20th century. Through his photography, Lee found his primary subject and developed a deep connection to the communities he documented, describing the experience as profoundly transformative for both his art and his worldview. His portraits of dignity and humanity resonate with compassion, offering a nuanced perspective on the lives of his subjects. Despite recognition from peers and collectors, Lee’s work remained relatively underappreciated for decades. However, this changed with the 2022 publication of Baldwin Lee by Hunter’s Point Press. The book, featuring his 1980s Southern photography, was lauded as an instant classic and earned accolades from Aperture Magazine, TIME, and the International Center for Photography, all of which named it one of the best photo books of the year. The first edition sold out within a month, and the book is now in its third printing. This renewed attention has led to major solo exhibitions at prominent galleries, including Howard Greenberg Gallery in New York City, Joseph Bellows Gallery in California, and David Hill Gallery in London. At last, Baldwin Lee’s groundbreaking work is receiving the widespread recognition it deserves.

The Baldwin Lee exhibition showcases over 50 gelatin silver prints from his extensive archive of Southern photography. It includes compelling portraits of Black Americans alongside landscapes, cityscapes, and still lifes that vividly depict life in the Reagan-era South. Many of these photographs are being exhibited publicly for the first time.