From Selling $300,000 Artwork at Sotheby’s to Serving The People | HYPEBEAST Diaries Lucien Smith

Lucien Smith spent his early art career selling paintings for $300,000 at Sotheby's and modeling for Supreme. Five years ago, he had an identity crisis and took a much needed hiatus from the art world. HYPEBEAST visits Lucien at his creative hideaway to find out what he's learned as he prepares his next big moves.
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[@slitherr5036]

This video is mad confusing for a person who doesn’t know who Lucien is and his past.

[@harveyjones1404]

so you dont know shit

[@DanganYankee]

@@harveyjones1404 who ?

[@rigobertovargas5939]

It’s wiggety wack honestly

[@greekguytalks]

that what the say about out President Trump

[@KP-ul2ep]

who is he then?

[@jonwittmann3042]

he was a victim of essentially a bull market for contemporary artists. his work sold for that 300k mark in 2014, but because people were only buying it for the quick flip, a lot of his work ended up selling for 70 - 90% discounts in the following years. some of his estimates are hitting like 7-10k when they used to sell for close to 400k back in "the day." it's interesting to see how the idea of buying at auction as an investment has gone from buying long dead artists' work to buying basically directly from cutting edge new artists. this is a huge issue because their work cant mature and live as it previously did, there is no value in it's story, it is essentially just a stock.

[@Eaiq]

I think time will tell that the climactic rise and fall is a story in and of itself. You'll probably see the work of these so called "zombie formalists" in the MoMA in decades with placards telling you about a time in art history where the markets went haywire.

[@jacintofernandes2907]

I loved this, is there any resources to read on him on the contemporary market in 2014 you'd recommend?

[@didibjj]

@@jacintofernandes2907 bump, im also curious about this

[@jonwittmann3042]

@@didibjj @Jacinto Fernandes - www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-19/that-100-000-painting-bought-to-flip-yours-for-about-20-000 this is one i found with a quick search. you should be able to find more on artnet or artnews

[@ronaldolamont]

I'm curious as to why you would call him a "victim"? I hardly think so!!

[@MURDAHSIDE]

I thought by him "serving the people" meant he ended up working at McDonalds.

[@michel23ortega]

x2

[@rigobertovargas5939]

Yeah I heard he used to serve at Johnny rockets and also at Dairy Queen. I was busboy

[@devinkk]

wow...people can be hateful as hell for now reason.

[@beluwuga]

devinkk exactly

[@gavinreid5387]

I seriously expected this video to be about an ex artist.

[@charleswilliams7128]

LMAO I clicked on this cause I thought this was Chad from Toro y Moi

[@MellamoTigre]

*chaz

[@jrameau]

Hahahaha

[@kelpo_boi]

“In 2017, Smith launched the creative initiative SERVICE THE PEOPLE. Their aim is to facilitate innovative conversation through the intersection of art and culture.” lmao i got clickbaited

[@CannonLord]

he sold those paintings by marketing himself, just as he is doing in this video..

[@conversationswithadrianne]

Good point. I don’t see a problem with it. His art was/is still art, he just put a high value on it.

[@magnusmyrtveit4306]

those paintings were sold at the peak of zombie formalism. they were commodities, not art.

[@theawesomemang123]

I personally liked the video. It seems like he really reflected on his past. I appreciate the words he shared.

[@jacquessparrow1595]

Wait... so where exactly does he serve the people?

[@tessoy]

JackedUpSparrow Art it’s the name of the his organisation/collective art group i think

[@jacquessparrow1595]

Ha! If thats the case, i got clickbaited so bad... anyway thanks for clearing that up.

[@japhy6536]

Right?

[@ArtByCater]

Congratulations! On achieving that level of being an artist, I love doing art an how each piece makes me feel, an bonus when you sell a piece that a customer just as a pleased with the art as well. Thank You ~Chuck

[@bananana2624]

What a pretentious video. Shallow af. Didn’t learn a damn thing about this artists except that he is technically“ successful. Coming from a company with the word hype in their name what do you expect?

[@alexiscolby9415]

Bana Nana my thoughts exactly and the “Artist” comes off as arrogant and full of himself, it’s amazing how the value of his work for a minute was once high feeding his ego. Plenty of more talented and genuine Artists who are way more humble and more skilled. We won’t hear about him 50-100 years from now.

[@Av4nQuisH]

@@alexiscolby9415 alot of the great artists and even renaissance masters were incredibly arrogant and narcissistic, most of em are, even the unsuccessful ones... nothing new here

[@alexiscolby9415]

Yusef Ali yes and the key word here is that they were *masters* this guy isn’t.

[@Av4nQuisH]

@@alexiscolby9415 nah like i said even the unsuccessful ones, u have to have an element of arrogance to succeed especially as an artist

[@luiscuesta0719]

Yusef Ali Yusef Ali kara walker, Louise bourgeois, jack whiten, Phillip guston are highly respected artists. They all have obsessions and developed strong personalities but at least they have some form of intellectualism and they are still humble. Not basic and shallow “look how much money I make” like this guy, which is why what happened to him with the art auctions happened

[@olejohnson5159]

and I thought I know everything and everyone in the art world, never knew this guy existed, I wish I could get that kind of hype, I'm certain I will deliver.

[@someguy1688]

Here’s a life tip: the moment you think you know everything about something is usually the moment you realize you don’t know shit about anything. Everyone just a stupid human being trying to live life by obtaining as much information as possible in 1 lifetime... well, at the ones who don’t want to stay stupid. Anyways, peace.

[@olejohnson5159]

@@someguy1688 true! "The more you know, the more you realize you don't know." Thanks for the "life tip" some guy in the internet.

[@bangus75]

He said the art market is perfect because it benefited him. He admitted that he wasn't even acknowledging where he was, so how do you expect him to look critically at all the ways the art market fails?

[@devinkk]

Nah I think you misunderstood. I think he was saying it's perfect for what it does, and who it serves...but that is not artists nor the masses

[@darinmorrison-beer5917]

No clue who this dude is, but it appears that he learned from his past pretty effectively

[@ohflamingo6905]

I don’t know this guy and what he does and I don’t know anything about the art world. However for me an artist is somebody who has a skill. It can be painting, woodworking, sculpture... But just being cool and knowing people is not art for me. That is why I quit art school after 2 months.Everybody was just talking all day long and nobody was actually doing anything!

[@PeterPepper93]

They were probably discussing a conceptual piece

[@Joghurtbakje]

Oh flamingo you quit art school because people were... talking?

[@thatsmebrada1048]

Oh flamingo The idea of art being about having skill is so dumb i can't even argue about it normally.Art is about crazy new ideas and concepts,about expressing new ways of seeing and feeling the world around us,not just some beautiful flower or trees kind of nonsense you learn to like as a child.You dont like it?just walk away no one needs your shitty opinions.If you think about it people who now are considered great artists were hated and despised during their lifetime and there are ton of exaples for that.

[@ImTooAbstract]

I’m confused at the title - how is he “serving the people”?

[@nonamemoname]

thats the name of the gallery/show if im not mistaken

[@ImTooAbstract]

@@nonamemoname ahhh im an idiot, thanks

[@jackfirmin5814]

his organisation is called that way. they sell work of artists that nobody knows, without keeping money for themselfes (sorry for my english, not a native speaker here).

[@georgeatlarge]

I understand this man 100% found what cannot be purchased, you must have painted yourself it's called peace of mind and it's priceless..

[@OIOIOIIOOIOOOOOIOIOOOIII]

wow nice lovely vibe. this (Diaries) is a great series.

[@sofiagreene2211]

“i think the gallery system is really good at providing resources for artists to grow exponentially” - the emptiest most bullshit statement ever made my someone who clearly knows nothing about how the gallery system really operates

[@gongorelocksmagiincommand]

Lol that’s what I thought. Of course he would say the gallery system is really good because it’s working for him. I doubt he would say the same if he had not benefited from it. I never wanna talk shit about people in such a public fashion but the statement he made seemed quite biased.

[@jackfirmin5814]

@@gongorelocksmagiincommand it "worked" for him since he is not represented by any gallery anymore. Besides I agree witih you.

[@jupitired777]

great video

[@Sarah2ill]

5:34 WELL DAMN! another one! thanks for having me soundtrack this awesome video @hypebeast

[@someguy1688]

So let me get this straight... they stole not one, but two of your songs, gave no credit, and you’re happy? people just like taking advantage of themselves nowadays ig lmao

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

Lucien is an inspiration, videos like these are perfect to learn from.

[@danm94]

And what exactly we suppose to learn? Care to enlighten us?

[@ElijahMcClinton]

Lazy Panda seeing someone do cool shit

[@unicornlens]

How is he “serving the people”? I had hoped to see a little depth.

[@ThePooper3000]

Apparently "Serving the People" is the name of the non-profit he founded. I was also confused by the title.

[@Etime5]

Those seed packet paintings are amazing!

[@jelanibyrd5031]

Beautiful.

[@boyfrienddick]

I literally guessed he was an aries after the first minute of watching then googled it and he is

[@JorgeSomething]

I don’t know what I’m watching can someone elaborate on This ?

[@jackfirmin5814]

This guy became very succesfull (in terms of art sales) right after his graduation, at a very young age. Then he had some good years, but as it turns out many people also were speculating with his paintings. They ended up in auctions and got sold for even more money, until the bubble popped and the auction results were very low. Not sure if this speculating is new (capitalism is a bitch), but definetly the artists became younger and younger a few years ago. The term "zombie formalism" was coined for some of them, even though it is very inacurate. 2015 it seems like this guy stopped working with galleries and started making his own thing.

[@fijaciones]

Music/Beat in the video that starts around 1:30 mark?

[@prodbyskeptics6206]

inspiring

[@MrLuckylouie]

So the video was about him buying a house...

[@NoNamePerson18]

Bruh, modern art is simply TAX EVASION

[@andrewarthur_AD5]

dope - keep it real never compromise.

[@jackfirmin5814]

I liked this video. Its nice to see people evolving and realizing that were assholes etc. Not sure about the STP organisation, but at least he tries.

[@cvjss2]

He doesn't come across as particularly likeable even now.......

[@creatingreality291]

Its strange how complete strangers will try to plan out YOUR life and not even tell YOU about it. So when you b pursue something that's meaningful to you, they get mad?? You are the creator, not their creation.

[@maceirachesco]

HYPE

[@hansmdinkermaniiv1665]

Oh used to hang out with him in Hollywood and see him at parties all the time didn’t know he was rich haha. He was always pretty low key

[@rigobertovargas5939]

Hans M Dinkerman IIV oh yeah lol were you theta bro I recognize you name. Kappa?

[@ferramirez4570]

@@rigobertovargas5939 Are you guys gonna start dancing like the movie?

[@rigobertovargas5939]

Fer Ramirez which one bro? I was in step up and step up 2 the beats but that one didn’t get the green light. I am an extra I got extra credit you know what I mean

[@rigobertovargas5939]

Hans have you heard of that party going on tonight? In the hills over there off Ventura? Major thotties tonight unless u r gay

[@hansmdinkermaniiv1665]

Rigoberto Vargas thise parties are fun if your a teenager but after partying like that for ten years it’s gets pretty boring you’ve seen everything and people have life’s at that point

[@borissuboticart]

But ......where is the art ? You have empty House and empty studio....Where is the art man ?

[@octaviannicholas4032]

Who made the instrumentals?

[@wilmerleonardouseche6524]

many people say that he was "used" by the art sistem , but he reach success ! despite temporary high prices of his work,,,,,nevertheless he still have a "name" , he won a lot of money, and art market will dont forget if he remain making good art,,,,,to different to many unknown artists that never will have recognition by his work !!

[@hippywolf]

Gallery world is working perfect for you G

[@Sarah2ill]

3:07 OH SHIT ANOTHER BEAT! ;-)

[@anandai3480]

Also I need his oregon tshirt

[@conradbo1]

Interesting artist and interesting video.

[@joelcormier2519]

Foot that ladder I was like whoa!

[@Xxpavement_angelxX]

This is pure inspiration in life

[@GoldenBloodyBeared]

keep making art for you sugar daddies

[@kaihams2144]

Do a diary on lil jupiterr

[@jack_mclennan]

serving the people lol. thats a good one

[@jack_mclennan]

" i think the art market and galleries work perfectly." then why the fuck do you wanna change it? you just wanna do the same shit and find "young creatives," the same way everyone who gets too big does. STP is just a gallery and now instead of an artist your a curator. Then they'll all get huge and sell art and it's all the same dude. art will never really thrive under capitalism. maybe for a small amount of men.

[@okamohd]

this man look a lot like Toro y Moi

[@rvb-if5id]

i am sorry but he is still overhyped...

[@blublopble]

dont know why people are criticising him for having a big ego here when hes actually being reflective on his past and humbling himself?

[@melveo2569]

blublopble exactly lol

[@conversationswithadrianne]

They sound a tad bit envious of his success in my opinion. So much so that they don’t care to see the change in him.

[@BobHenry4161]

He is fly tho

[@robinverslegers9084]

I am confused, in the 60 there is a Belgian artist JEf Geys who already made these type of paintings of seed bags the same size as the original bags, does he know this, or does he not. Who is this dude?

[@japhy6536]

Did I miss the part about how is serving humanity ?

[@4fashionprince]

lol being avoiding this hypebeast video from feed for 4 days straight because I know nothing from hype beast is anything than superficial , well now I can unsubscribe peacefully. have a nice day all.

[@missbeaussie]

Life isn't about not being a dick it's about taking accountability, recognising when you were a dick, figuring out why, apologising, learning, changing, growing and helping others do the same.

[@missbeaussie]

I think he has a lot more growing to do. We all do. I expected to see more humility but there is seeds of growth

[@Chron_Dawg78]

like the Wranglers

[@jaimeg5154]

Lifeofart

[@DuenoJesus]

Thought Lucien Smith was my actual brother (as they look identically similar), I am presuming a fine arts major/career myself... This video was pretty inspiring thing to watch-watching the simplicity of actually *doing* good work!

[@louiscohen1731]

So how does he serve the people? Missed that bit

[@nicholaseady2173]

Such shell is content

[@ZUNNI333]

Had never heard of him, regardless this was a good introduction of him. Amazing documentary

[@noelpf]

Good for him for having that realization but his art is pretty ehhh...I would break down in tears if I ever sold a painting for a fraction of what he sells his for lol It's who you know I guess..

[@afiffaizal8891]

genuine question, what constitutes good art then?

[@joab8436]

clicked this thinking it was Toro y moi

[@NA-kp6kv]

whos the bob in the beginning?

[@henrycastle1]

❤ Dude best wishes from me, Personally

[@SeeForwards]

I would love to make Art but I want to do something just something

[@michel23ortega]

Clickbait title AF!

[@avxryx]

Hi Lucien! I'd drop everything right now to be your apprentice 😭❤️ love your work 🙌

[@campbellalbertina]

Never heard of him.

[@hansencarnacion5886]

dis dude looks like toro y moi (chaz bear)

[@xcvxcvcxvxvcq]

hanseee They are both half Filipino and half black

[@hansencarnacion5886]

@@xcvxcvcxvxvcq ahh didn't realize Lucien Smith was too, thas dope

[@damsonpirate]

I didn't really learn anything but for me it's still always inspiring to see an artist have a fulfilling career and especially so young

[@AX1A]

No brother, this is the same you after the law of diminishing (psychological) returns

[@alexanderhill9347]

where can I buy that shirt though..

[@ShakilaTaranumMaan]

cant decide what i think but i do feel... the Privilaged... utterly vacuous

[@ht-si1lr]

"Parking Cone Orange" What's that all about?

[@KaziDepartment]

Lucien Kama Lucien

[@w.urlitzer1869]

only serving the people named lucien smith

[@kikeheebchinkjigaboo6631]

I don’t see the work

[@henrikkrusty8065]

eu sei que você achou que era o kim kataguiri

[@thebirds2406]

Beeing honest, I haven't leaned nothing here, and his Art work is contemporary, no offense to contemporary Art work , they are like home decorating piece but there's no denying with good portofolio and great contact , attending the wealthy and rich events and meeting those who are working for them selling them everything and anything with value or not they buy. That is great thing to earn a living, it's business. Rich people are in competition and daring themselves about who's willing to out more and more and it goes up... Indeed He made a lot of money, he is earning his living well from making 300,000$ and falling at 10,000$ , it diminued the value of his Art. Still he is earning 10,000$ from each art piece though and with that one can live really fine. But how about The value of your work it is said Money cannot buy everything and This is not about money alone, it's like Be an Artist, everyone can draw and paint, pour paints everywhere and call that art , but "Art" it's not even the concern about money , it's the beauty and the work you can stare at it for hours and days and it is printed in your head , unfirgettable beauty, it's like when you just met that very beautiful person in your eyes and you can't forget him or her the attraction and the obssession , you're addicted and you happen to remember even the details the lips, the eyes, the cheeks hehehe 😊 ... The beauty if the Art work and the hands that has made it let alone the creativity of that brilliant mind... money comes after! for certain you have to make living out of that work, but for The Greatest Artists their art piece last, it endure time, even they are gond, they are out of reach , everyone knows and remember , it's captivating and unforgettable as they have worked that Art piece at its finest and developped their own technique and signature, their unique view of what is beautiful in this world and this life, it's unique. There are many Artists, and there piece of Arts some are for decorating luxury appartments and residences, it does sell , you earn your living but it's there within 5years and forgotten nobody knows who was this painter but they just see here is an Art piece. It's fast and furious and it's exploding and it forgotten. Same as fashion there are great creativity there, the aim is only and only money, it's not Art it's not even a culture as it does neither last neither endure, but it's fun and it's profittable and it's selling. But the value is gone it's kitch. About him being victim as @Jon Witman here says I could say the luckiest too at that point when the market was high. Certainly He made great contacts, he advertised himself, something some many great Artists don't do they paint and paint without recognition. One must advertise after achieving the work. The money come after and the wealthy and rich are the buyers. Sometimes you try to attend those Art bidding and you don't get how is such piece of Art to be sold in such amount of money delusionnal!? But that is advertising and making contacts some so called Artist just painted that for an hour and it's out there as new talented young Artist, price start from such and if the Market is high, Art dealer don't care they put any piece at very highest price and the Wealthiest will start to bet amd dare each others for buying it. Indeed it is a great way to just go paint do some Art and put yourself out there and make thousands of dollars. Not that I am jealous, yes great job! But sorry those are Arts but commercial Arts, those ain't true Artist painter , their work won't last and forgotten in 3 to 5 years, beauty last and it needs a lot of works, details commitment to achieve it. He is making a living , good money and that is success and he is very proud of himself, good for him!

[@leodoamaral9359]

Serving what people 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@jademcgee3118]

A lot of salty broke artists on here I see, keep grinding boys!

[@PerryLevy]

Lucien is a humble artist and I'm excited to see what else he's got up his sleeves...like a feature film!

[@LambentOrt]

He's cute though...

[@slambeats1492]

if toro y moi painted

[@ramsescarranza7685]

ME,Me me,Me Me Me me me ME ME ME ME ME! Look At ME! LOve Me Admire Me ME ME !! Look How humble I am !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHo the fuck are you ????????????????

[@BlackKettleRanch]

I just don't get people. How? Why? How did this happen?

[@jjjenkins2008]

previously successful lame artists (dash snow, dan colen, ...) lifting up even lamer artists such as lucien. lame bros helping lamer bros.

[@repoman415]

How is he serving people?

[@forevadorable]

how is he serving people?

[@playa3615]

Who is this?

[@darealberrygarcia]

I find his incredibly hysterical ego more interesting than his art.

[@blublopble]

how is he being egotistical here? hes actually being reflective on his past and kinda humbling himself in this video.

[@leandrow216]

Toro y moi?

[@u.tassinari2916]

moving clothing brand ... his art is not very impactant for me it is more about marketing here

[@magnusmyrtveit4306]

being known for zombie formalism is kinda shit lol

[@greycloudish]

#zombie #zombieformalism

[@z.833]

Art market today is like crypto market. Better not to buy young artists. They are way too fragile.

[@francoarocha7287]

this is the first time I actually click dislike on a video...

[@newmember6046]

Overrated artist with money who just buy all his stuff and creates art in 30 mins and sold hundreds of thousands of dollars. While the struggling artists who perfected their art and spend time to come out with a real art but doesn't have the connections earns pennies. SMH.

[@justinhunt4767]

Haring Hotdog that's the wrong attitude to have

[@dyx4098]

What??? He looks like he overthink what people will see in him, thats why he doesnt know his identity or personal research, he kinda lame tbh, he be doing photography, painting, and what else, idk but i would choose to do many crafts if i wouldnt know what my craft is (genuinamente)