SEEN

SEEN - Godfather of Graffiti Richard "Richie" Mirando, known as Seen UA (born 1961) is an American graffiti artist. 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 system in 1973. 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.[citation needed] During the very early 1980s Seen started producing work on canvas, shown by galleries and bought by museums and private collectors worldwide. These included not only solo exhibitions but also group shows with artists Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Dondi, Quik, Blade, and Lee Quiñones. Despite such success and constant world travel, Seen 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.