Lucien Smith, Downtown NYC Artist and Rain Paintings Creator, Dies at 37

Lucien Smith, a 37-year-old abstract artist renowned for his Rain Paintings series and his contributions as a nonprofit founder and restaurateur, has passed away. Erin Goldberger, director of Half Gallery, confirmed the news. The specifics surrounding his death remain undisclosed. Born in Los Angeles in 1989, Smith spent his childhood in the Lower East Side before returning to LA during his teenage years. He later moved back to New York to attend Cooper Union, where he honed his artistic style, culminating in his 2011 thesis exhibition, 'Imagined Nostalgia'. His innovative Rain Paintings (2011–12) involved using fire extinguishers to spray acrylic paint onto canvases. Smith achieved swift market success, with a thesis painting selling for $389,000 at Phillips auction in 2013, despite being originally bought for $10,000. By 2015, he distanced himself from commercial galleries to advocate for artists, recognizing the challenges of early fame. Collector Alberto Mugrabi claimed that Smith's work had become nearly unsellable, highlighting market volatility. Bill Powers, owner of Half Gallery, remembered Smith's humor, recalling his playful concept for a video featuring himself as a ghoul in a tuxedo in Times Square, poking fun at 'Zombie Formalism'. Smith's passing signifies a significant loss for New York City's downtown art community.