Description
Richard Mirando (1961-)
Seen
Nicknamed The Godfather of Graffiti, Seen is one of the most popular writers in New York. His first graffiti on a train in New York Subway dates back to 1973, when he was just 11 years old. Together with the other members of United Artist (UA) crew – which also his brother Mad belongs to – Seen quickly builds up an outstanding reputation in the Bronx and the rest of the city. His status in the circle of writers grows rapidly thanks to his ambitious masterpieces that end up covering the entire wagons (top-to-bottom in graffiti slang). Some of these become real Graffiti icons of the time. The New York Subway lines 2, 5 and 6 are so full of his creations that at a certain point it is said: “There are more artworks by Seen in New York than billboards”. In the early 1980s he begins to work with canvas, allowing his art into galleries and organising solo and group exhibitions with Warhol, Haring and Basquiat. He never stops painting on trains, at least until the end of the decade, when he shifts his skills towards tattoos and opens “Tattoo Seen” one of the most renowned studios in town.
