Richard Hambleton

Richard Hambleton was a pioneering street artist known as the 'Godfather of Street Art' who created three major public art series: the Image Mass Murder crime scene silhouettes (1976-1978), the I Only Have Eyes for You series, and his iconic Shadowman figures that appeared on walls throughout New York's Lower East Side in the 1980s. Working alongside contemporaries Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, Hambleton's haunting, expressionistic shadow figures became emblematic of 1980s New York street culture. Despite struggles with addiction and homelessness, his work gained renewed recognition before his death in 2017, with exhibitions at major galleries and the documentary 'Shadowman' (2017) chronicling his life and influence.