Born and raised in New York City, Eric Haze has remained a defining influence in graffiti, contemporary art, and graphic design for more than four decades. As a teenager, Haze became a founding member of The Soul Artists, one of New York’s most influential early graffiti collectives, alongside peers such as Futura, Lee, and Dondi. In 1974, he and fellow members presented their first public works—marking one of the earliest moments graffiti entered a formal exhibition context. By the early 1980s, Haze was exhibiting his paintings and drawings alongside close friends Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, further establishing his place within a seminal generation that reshaped the landscape of contemporary art. As a pioneer in bringing graffiti into mainstream culture, Haze built a career defined by pushing creative boundaries across multiple media. After shifting his focus from art galleries to graphic art, he quickly gained recognition as one of the leading graphic designers shaping the rapidly emerging hip-hop movement. Over the next decade, Haze helped define the visual language of a generation—creating iconic logos, album covers, and identities for The Beastie Boys, Tommy Boy, LL Cool J, EPMD, MTV, and more. In 1991, he launched his namesake apparel and accessories label [HAZE], which remains recognized today as one of the pioneering forces in the global streetwear movement. The brand has continued to thrive through high-profile collaborations with industry leaders such as Nike, Casio, Heineken, Honda, and Levi’s, further cementing Haze’s influence across art, design, and contemporary culture. In the 2000s, Haze returned to painting and drawing, reconnecting with the foundational mediums that shaped his early creative life. Working from his Williamsburg studio, his practice reflects key movements in art history while evolving a visual language distinctly his own. His recent works explore abstract forms and intersecting lines, expressing universal themes and a deep fascination with movement and gesture. Over the past decade, a series of solo exhibitions across New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Paris, and Tokyo have garnered significant acclaim, bringing global attention to his unmistakable style. In 2011, Haze’s work was featured in Art In The Streets at MOCA Los Angeles, and in 2016 he was included in the Coney Art Walls project curated by the legendary Jeffrey Deitch. His large-scale painting installation for Beyond The Streets in May 2018 earned widespread praise and marked another milestone in his ongoing artistic evolution. In recent years, Haze has continued to expand his presence in Japan. In 2024, he celebrated the 30th anniversary of his brand’s arrival in the country with a major solo exhibition—ERIC HAZE 30th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION “RE HAZE”—held at PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO in Shibuya PARCO. The exhibition showcased new abstract and figurative paintings, collaborative sculptures with artist Taku Obata, a special project with YAMAHA, and an extensive presentation of the brand’s archival works. Haze also maintains ongoing collaborations with leading Japanese labels such as sacai, Fragmentdesign, NEIGHBORHOOD, and WTAPS. In 2025, he unveiled a special collection with F.C.Real Bristol in celebration of SOPH.Tokyo’s 26th anniversary. Through these projects, Haze continues to deepen his influence within Japanese street culture, driving the country’s creative landscape with a practice that fluidly bridges art, fashion, and design. Haze currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, where he resides with his wife, actress Rosie Perez, and their two rescue cats.
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