Real Talk with Lucien Smith

Artsy caught up via email (and emoji) with Lucien Smith. It seems his choice of words is as playful as his style of painting—as in his work for the Whitney Art Party Sale, which he created by spraying paint from a fire extinguisher.

Artsy: Who tried to talk you out of pursuing a career as an artist, and why did you persevere?

Lucien Smith: This was my backup plan.

Artsy: What tools are essential to your practice as an artist (anything from the Internet to paintbrushes to a particular Pandora station to create the perfect atmosphere)?

LS: Big ups to Strand Books! Wikipedia, Juice Press, SoulCycle. Pandora? What's that? You mean Spotify!

Artsy: As you know, the Whitney is soon to open a new location, which has been coined the “Whitney of the Future”. What does the future of art look like?

LS: This is a picture I took of the Whitney under construction during Hurricane Sandy. The future has looked brighter. [See middle image.]

Art of the future? Maybe something like this... [See last image.]

Who is your dream collector?

LS: Mike Tyson or Wesley Snipes after tax.