Photograph of Spike Lee directing Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" video: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A color photograph of Spike Lee in front of a portrait of Malcolm X.

He wears a white t-shirt with red text reading "Fight the Power" over a black long sleeve shirt and a blue New York Knicks baseball cap. Around his neck is a necklace with a large, round medallion. At the center of the medallion is the Public Enemy logo depicting a crosshair target the figure of a man in the center . His right leg is bent and resting on an unseen object. His proper right elbow is resting on his right leg and his left hand is holding on to an orange and white megaphone. Behind him is a large black and white image of Malcolm X.

On the verso is an inscription by Bill Adler, handwritten in blue ink reading [Spike Lee, Brklyn (sic), 1989 / By Michael Benabib].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1989
• Photograph by: Michael Benabib, American, born 1962
• Subject of: Spike Lee, American, born 1957
• Subject of: Public Enemy, American, founded 1982
• Subject of: New York Knicks, American, founded 1946
• Subject of: Malcolm X, American, 1925 - 1965
• Type: portraits
• Type: inkjet prints
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 17 × 11 in. (43.2 × 27.9 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 13 1/16 × 9 7/16 in. (33.1 × 24 cm)
• Place captured: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Music
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Object number: 2015.132.127
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Michael Benabib Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.