The art world and its politics are complex and nuanced. If there’s one near constant truth, however, it’s that it’s rarely ever just about the art. This may or may not be particularly true in Lucien Smith’s case (see how open-ended we’re being? That’s art critique 101). While Smith’s work has been in the limelight for at least 5 years (he was selling pieces for half a mill when he was 21), there’s the whole dealio of being a cool guy that’s right there with it. As is inevitable for any cool guy artist making big dollar, Smith retreated from ‘the art world’ a few months ago (to a newly bought house in Montauk, no less), to refocus and reassess things. One of these reassessments has been to think about dependence on galleries, which he seeks to undermine with his new website – luciensmithstudio.com – where he’s uploaded every piece of art he’s made since college. It’s an impressive catalogue. As it turns out, there’s a lot more to Lucien than rain paintings, Supreme campaigns, and Skarstedt-endorsed camo applications.
T Magazine recently caught up with the artist – read their interview here.
