Rene Ricard (July 23, 1946 – February 1, 2014) was an American poet, art critic and painter. In a lengthy, varied and acclaimed career, Ricard was both a commenter on and participant in some of the most seminal artistic moments of New York City's vibrant cultural scene.
By age eighteen, he had moved to New York City, where he became a protégé of Andy Warhol. He appeared in the Warhol films Kitchen (1965), Chelsea Girls (1966), and The Andy Warhol Story (1966).
In the 1980s, he wrote a series of influential essays for Artforum magazine, including "The Radiant Child" (December 1981), which helped launch the career of painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. Ricard has also contributed art essays to numerous gallery and exhibition catalogs.
Ricard was portrayed by Michael Wincott in Julian Schnabel's biographical film, Basquiat (1996).
He lived at the famed Hotel Chelsea in New York City intermittently for 40 years. Ricard died on February 1, 2014 of cancer at Bellevue Hospital in New York City