"Spike Lee exemplifies what the Wexner Prize was created to celebrate: a bold creative spirit who is unafraid to provoke and challenge us. He tests the American mind, and its attitudes, assumptions and values, and in doing so, he has advanced American cinema in remarkable ways," Les Wexner said in a statement.
A selection of Lee's films, including a free showing of "Malcolm X," will be presented at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus this month. His documentary on Hurricane Katrina, "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts," will screen continuously in the center's video space throughout the month.
Lee is the 13th artist to receive the award, funded by the Wexner Center Foundation. It was presented Monday at a ceremony at the Wexner home in the Columbus suburb of New Albany.
