Know Your History - SEEN

Richard Mirando, known as Seen, born 1961 in The Bronx, New York, is one of the most famous American graffiti artists, often referred to as The Godfather of Graffiti.

Seen first started to paint on New York's subway in 1973. His crew "United Artists" (or simply UA) quickly gained the reputation for producing full colour wholecars with members such as PJAY, DUSTER, SIN and his brother MAD.

For the next 16 years his pieces were running across the city and on all lines but especially prominent on the 2, 5 and 6 lines. He was responsible for dozens of whole car top to bottoms many of which have become iconic images of the time.

It was during the very early 1980s that Seen started producing work on canvas, shown by galleries and bought by museums and private collectors across the globe. These include not only solo exhibitions but also group shows with artists such as Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Dondi, Quik, Blade and Lee. Despite the high demand for his work in Europe and constant world travel, Seen continued to hit the New York subway trains right up until 1989, long after many had admitted defeat to the MTA. He was also featured prominently in the PBS 1983 documentary Style Wars.

In the late 1980's Seen also turned his talent to tattoo art, opening TATTOO SEEN which quickly became one of the most successful studios in New York. Seen's recent work includes three dimensional sculpture, mixed media work with reclaimed or discarded materials (often found in the street) and a series of hand painted limited edition MTA New York subway maps. He continues to exhibit worldwide and produce work with, and alongside, artists such as Banksy