Lucien Smith, Painter and Founder of Serving the People, Dies at 37
On September 7, 2023, Lucien Smith, a multidisciplinary artist, passed away in New York at the age of 37. Born in Los Angeles in 1989 to artist Terrence Sanders-Smith and fashion designer Vivien Ramsay, Smith's diverse background shaped his artistic identity. He completed his BFA at The Cooper Union in 2011, where his thesis exhibition, “Imagined Nostalgia,” garnered significant attention. His inaugural solo exhibition, “Good Vibrations,” took place in 2012. Renowned for his abstract Rain Paintings series (2011–13), he became a key figure in the “Zombie Formalism” movement. Disenchanted with the art market, he departed New York around 2015. In 2016, he established Serving the People and reopened FOOD in 2024. Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn described him as a uniquely charismatic and talented artist.
Key facts
- Lucien Smith died on September 7 in New York at age 37.
- Born in 1989 in Los Angeles to African American artist Terrence Sanders-Smith and Filipina fashion designer Vivien Ramsay.
- Received his BFA from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York in 2011.
- His two-person thesis show “Imagined Nostalgia” explored childhood and constructed memories.
- First solo gallery show “Good Vibrations” opened in 2012 at Bill Powers’s Half Gallery.
- Known for the abstract Rain Paintings series (2011–13), created by spraying canvases with paint-filled fire extinguishers.
- The series became emblematic of “Zombie Formalism,” a term coined by critic Walter Robinson.
- In 2016, he launched Serving the People, a nonprofit supporting young and unsigned artists.
- In 2024, he reopened FOOD, the avant-garde restaurant originally founded in 1971 by Tina Girouard, Carol Goodden, and Gordon Matta-Clark.
Entities
Artists
- Lucien Smith
- Terrence Sanders-Smith
- Vivien Ramsay
- Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn
- Bill Powers
- Walter Robinson
- Tina Girouard
- Carol Goodden
- Gordon Matta-Clark
- Harison Butler
- Alberto Mugrabi
- Mathieu Canet
- Oscar Murillo
- Jacob Kassay
- Tripoli Patterson
- Andrew Kuo
Institutions
- Serving the People
- The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
- Half Gallery
- Office Magazine
- Hypebeast
- T: The New York Times Style Magazine
- FOOD
- ArtAsiaPacific
- Cooper Union
- Phillips
- Serving The People
- ArtReview
- Salon 94
- Parrish Art Museum
- Kearsey & Gold
- Skarstedt
- OHWOW
- Ritter/Zamet
- Suzanne Geiss Company
- Vanity Fair
- exibart.com
- Tripoli Gallery
- New York Times
- CULTURED
- Santa Monica High
- Artforum
- Artnet
- The New York Times
- STP
- Food
- X
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Los Angeles
- Montauk
- New York City
- Lower East Side
- Times Square
- SoHo
- Santa Monica
- Long Island
- Water Mill
- London
- Chinatown
- Camp Hero
Sources
- Artslife —
- Art Asia Pacific —
- Artsy —
- ArtReview —
- Exibart —
- Monopol Magazin —
- Cultured Magazine —
- Hyperallergic —