Lucas art in Berlin

Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, July 12, 2023

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Local artist and sculptor Charlie “Tin Man” Lucas’ art has been showcased all over the country and the world. Lucas has been a part of many firsts in his lifetime and this Saturday will again be a part of another first as he will be one of the first Selma Artists to have their work showcased in Berlin, Germany as part of an exhibition that is being held by curator Littleton Odom. The exhibition is entitled “Ephemory” and will include a small painting from Lucas’ “TV Snacks” series, called “Flying Free” The show will take place in the Berlin neighborhood of Schöneberg at a curatorial project space called “Doom Spa.” Doom Spa was founded by German artist Roseline Rannoch. This will be the first time that an Alabamain artist will be featured in a “Doom Spa” exhibition in its history. According to Odom, there is hope and a plan for Lucas to be the first of many shows that feature the works of other Alabama artists. Lucas work can be found in his Tin Man Studio Art Gallery on the corner of Lauderdale and Water Avenue. At a young age was looking to become a gunsmith or a blacksmith before he tragically broke his back in 1984. It was from there that Lucas turned to his faith and became too many “Tin Man”

“I asked God to give me a talent that no one had and I promised Him I would be a humble servant in it,” Lucas said in the March/April Selma Magazine in 2022.

After that prayer, Lucas went on a spiritual journey that brought his art to not only the people in Dallas County but people around the world. His art has been featured in museums, books, and museums and is now in an exhibition in Germany. Lucas still, however, has not lost the promise he made back in 1984.

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“It’s not about the fame, the money, or none of these things,” Lucas said. “I wanted to build a building block of my family, and I wanted my great-grandfather and their names to be uplifted off of tombstones and put into books. I have accomplished those things through the help of the good Lord.”