René Ricard, born in 1946 in Boston, Massachusetts, is an American poet and painter who has achieved status in the art world through a fascinating history dating back to his involvement in Warhol’s films. He is well known for launching the careers of now famous Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and for his influential essays in Artforum. Ricard’s first book of poems was published by the Dia Art Foundation and styled like a turquoise Tiffany’s catalogue, however most of his poems are made in the form of paintings. His fans range from Kate Moss to the Bruce High Quality Foundation, the latter of which included him in the 2011 Brucennial. He is represented in New York City by the Vito Schnabel Gallery on West 23rd Street.