Lucien Smith A'11

The abstract painter Lucien Smith passed away on September 8, 2026 at the age of 37. He was featured twice in Forbes's "30 Under 30" and had showed his art in nearly 20 solo exhibitions and many more group exhibitions. After finding early success in the art world, Lucien shifted to supporting other artists in the form of the nonprofit Serving the People and revitalizing a Lower East Side restaurant.

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.