An American with a Haitian father, who gained recognition as an artist in the 1980s as part of the Neo-Expressionism movement. His rise to prominence was swift but his career was cut short. Between 1977 and 1980 he was a graffiti artist, tagging his mysterious, subversive messages with the name SAMO. By 1980 he was frequenting artists such as Andy Warhol and abandoned graffiti for painting. Buoyed by the energy of hip hop with its sampling, scratching and DJ culture, his art drew on many influences such as Picasso, as well as jazz and voodoo. His style was characterised by a bold and sparing colour palette, and the use of symbols such as the crown and skull, as well as numbers and scientific formulae.