Seen

SEEN

NEW YORK / UNITED STATES

Richard “SEEN” Mirando was born October 17, 1961, in the Bronx, New York. “SEEN” is one of the most well-known graffiti artists in the world. He is often referred to as The Godfather of Graffiti. “SEEN” first started to paint on New York’s subway carriages in the 1970’s. He quickly gained a reputation for producing full-color murals on subway cars. His paintings ran throughout the city’s five boroughs as moving billboards for the next two decades. He was responsible for hundreds of whole cars painted from top to bottom, many of which have become iconic images of the time.

The art of SEEN was never restricted to only trains; he also produced works on canvas, sculptures, and other pieces from items found on the streets. In 1980, he was one of the first of a handful of artists to exhibit his work throughout Europe and Asia, having numerous solo shows and group museum exhibitions. In 1981, P.S.1’s “New York/New Wave”, a seminal exhibition at MOMA, set the stage for future artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. SEEN was also part of this groundbreaking event.

SEEN was featured prominently in the 1982 PBS documentary “Style Wars”. This film was influential in moving graffiti from the underground subculture to the mainstream. In 1984, the follow-up book “Subway Art” was released, now exposing SEEN and graffiti internationally. His lettering style became a base print for other artists to build on.