Seen (artist) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Godfather of Graffiti Seen UA
Seen at the SEEN CITY exhibition in Paris, 2007
Born	Richard Mirando Bronx, New York, U.S.
Style	Wildstyle
Movement	Graffiti

Richard Mirando, known as Seen, is a famous American graffiti artist. Many people call him the "Godfather of Graffiti" because of his huge impact on this art form.

Seen began creating his art on the New York City Subway trains in 1973. He was born in Bronx, a part of New York City.

The Art Journey of Seen
Exhibiting Art Around the World
- Solo Art Shows
Images for kids
See also

The Art Journey of Seen

For 16 years, Seen painted amazing artworks, called 'pieces,' all over New York City. His art was especially visible on the 2, 5, and 6 subway lines. He created many 'whole-car top-to-bottoms.' These were huge paintings that covered entire subway cars from top to bottom. Many of these became famous symbols of that era.

A piece, featuring Vaughn Bodē’s character Razzberry, by Seen on an R21 on the 6 line, 1980s

In the early 1980s, Seen started making art on canvas. These paintings were shown in art galleries and bought by museums and art collectors. He kept painting subway trains in New York City until 1989. He continued even when the MTA (the company that runs the subway) made it much harder for artists to do so. He was featured in a famous 1983 TV documentary called Style Wars.

In the late 1980s, Seen also explored tattoo art. He opened 'Tattoo Seen,' which became a very popular tattoo studio in New York City. More recently, his art includes 3D sculptures and mixed-media pieces. He often uses recycled materials he finds. He also created a series of hand-painted maps of the New York subway system. He still shows his art around the world and works with other famous artists, like Banksy.

In 2009, the Seen Gallery opened in Paris, France. Later, it became known as Seen Studios. He enjoys painting comic book heroes. He even has his own clothing line, featuring his unique lettering and comic hero designs on t-shirts.

Exhibiting Art Around the World

Solo Art Shows

Seen has held many solo art shows in famous cities across the globe. His work has been displayed in galleries in places like Amsterdam, New York City, Tokyo, Vancouver, San Francisco, London, and Paris. These exhibitions allowed people worldwide to see his unique graffiti art and other creative projects.