Richard Mirando, known as Seen, is an American

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

. He is one of the best known graffiti artists in the world and has been referred to as the Godfather of Graffiti. Seen first started to paint on the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

system in 1973. He was born in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Life

For the next 16 years he painted pieces across the city and on all subway routes, but they were especially prominent on the 2, 5, and 6 trains. He was responsible for dozens of whole-car top-to-bottoms, many of which have become iconic images of the time. Seen bode ny

During the very early 1980s he started producing work on canvas, shown by galleries and bought by museums and private collectors. He continued to paint New York City subway trains until 1989, long after increased pressure from the MTA had stopped many from doing so. He was included in the 1983 PBS documentary '' Style Wars''. In the late 1980s he also undertook

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes ...

art, opening Tattoo Seen, a tattoo parlor which became one of the most successful studios in New York City. His more 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 MTA New York subway maps. He continues to exhibit worldwide and produce work with and alongside artists such as

Banksy Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive ep ...

. In 2009, the Seen Gallery opened in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

before becoming the Seen Studios, France. He has focused on painting comic book heroes. He has his own clothing line that prints t-shirts with his lettering and comic hero renderings. Image:SEENBANKSY.jpg, Image:LondonStickball.jpg, Image:Mixedmedia.jpg, Image:Londonhatemyself.jpg, Image:SEEN_2003.jpg, Image:Seen ua paris 2007 jnl.jpg,

Exhibitions

Solo shows

*1982, 1983, 1985 : The Yaki Kornblitt Gallery,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

*1983 : Stellweg-Seguy gallery, New York City *1985 : Suntory company,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

*1995 : Clayton Gallery, New York City *2001 : Twenty-four Gallery, Vancouver. Bob's Gallery, New York City *2003 : Toy Tokyo Gallery, New York City. STIP Gallery,

. Stussy SF Gallery,

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. Concrete Vibes Gallery, New York City. Marco Art Gallery, New York City *2005 : Rocket World Gallery,

. Outside Institute Space, Londres. Prosper Gallery,

. Mc Caigwelles Gallery, New York City *2006 : Stolen Space gallery,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

*2007 : Seen City, Galerie Chappe, ParisSeen, l'emblème du graffiti
Marie Claire, 2007 *2009 : The 1st SEEN Pop-Up Show,

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

*2009 : Carhartt Gallery,

Weil am Rhein Weil am Rhein (, ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Wiil am Rhii'') is a German town and commune. It is on the east bank of the River Rhine, and extends to the tripoint of Switzerland, France, and Germany. It is the most southwesterly tow ...

*2009 : Kleerup Gallery,

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

*2010 : PleaSE ENjoy @ Magda Danysz Gallery, Paris *2011 : Seen, Opera Gallery, Paris

Bibliography

References

External links

The official Richard Mirando website

Interview with Seen
Radio France Internationale
The Cornell Hip Hop Collection
preserves 149 of Seen's original drawings and 370 original photographs of his work {{DEFAULTSORT:Seen American graffiti artists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)