Tucker Nichols' work has touched the lives of many. The artist infuses vitality into his craft – known for his bold use of color, creative compositions and punchy pieces. Based in Northern California, Nichols has been featured in galleries around the world and in numerous publications.
With an undergraduate degree from Brown University and a Masters in Chinese Painting from Yale University, Nichols traveled extensively through Asia after school. Many of his pieces are inspired by his studies and travels, cultural influences like technology and the effects of the pandemic and chronic illness. The artist works with various techniques and mediums including paint, sculpture, murals, writing, mixed media work, wall installations and more.
Nichols’ recent project, Flowers for Sick People, speaks to the artist personally. Nichols suffers from Crohn's disease, an autoimmune disorder. As COVID-19 brought sickness into the forefront of the mind, Nichols noted how the pandemic was a twofold crisis – one of illness and isolation. Flowers for Sick People invited people to send a name and address of a sick loved one to Nichols. In return, the artist painted flowers daily and sent them out – free of charge. Flowers are an ambiguous signifier, much like art, the artist noted. Flowers have long been painted and can symbolize sympathy, love, heartbreak, mourning and celebration. In an interview, Nichols described the project as “Flowers for New York City. Flowers for anyone at any hospital for any reason. Flowers for your mother. Flowers for anyone stuck at home without flowers today.” The project is ongoing.
Nichols' work has been shown in the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), the Drawing Center and Gallery 16 in New York, the Den Frie Museum in Copenhagen and more. His work has been featured in the New Yorker, the Op-Ed section of the New York Times, The Thing Quarterly, McSweeney's, Nieves Books and more. Nichols is also a talented writer and the co-author of two books, Crabtree and This Bridge Will Not Be Gray. He is currently an Artist Trustee at SFMOMA.
Nichols lives in California with his family and spends time in North Haven.