Seen

Biography

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 the reputation for producing full color murals on subway cars. For the next two decades his paintings ran throughout the cities five boroughs as moving billboards. 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 as well as sculptures and other various pieces from items found on the streets. Come 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 such as 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 an influential tool in moving graffiti from underground subculture to the mainstream. In 1984 the follow up book “Subway Art” was released, now exposing “SEEN” and graffiti internationally. From this his lettering style became a base print for other artists to build on. Amongst his various daredevil antics, “SEEN” also gained notoriety in 1985 for scrolling his name across the legendary Hollywood sign located in Los Angeles, California. “SEEN” continues to create constantly and exhibit worldwide.

Source: Galerie Bartoux