MONCHO 1929

(Puerto Rico, b. 1975)

Originally from South Bronx, Dan Monteavaro’s practice expands to London, Los Angeles, NYC, Washington DC, and Seoul.

Monteavaro’s practice continues to evolve yet stays true to challenging contemporary societal notions. Today, his artwork can be found in multiple private, city, and corporate collections; from Google, Inc. to the French Consulate of the US, and from The City of New York, Paramount, the NBA, MLS, and Universal Pictures, to the Public Art collections of cities like Glendale, Los Angeles, and West Hollywood.

Most recently, Dan Monteavaro’s work was acquired for the permanent collection of the Iowa Museum of Modern Art (The Figge) and he was included in the juried BP Portrait Awards for The National Portrait Gallery in the United Kingdom.

Deftly jumping between public murals and traditional painting, Puerto Rican-American artist Dan Monteavaro, aka Moncho 1929, is increasingly known for his wildly imaginative works. Born in the South Bronx, Monteavaro watched the NYC graffiti scene explode during his formative years, an experience that would shape his future use of movement and self-expression.

“Motion, and the suggestion of motion, are first and foremost,” Monteavaro has said. With its emphasis on movement, his work captures the raw dynamism of early subway graffiti, which passengers enjoyed as they sped through dimly lit stations on elevated tracks. Monteavaro’s public works rely on easily appreciable geometric shapes and color gradients, while his paintings combine opposing images that create new dialog from disparate threads of cultural thought. Today, Monteavaro’s work can be found in multiple city, corporate, and private collections. Most recently, his work became part of The Figge Museum’s permanent collection and was included in the juried BP Portrait Awards for The National Portrait Gallery. Dan Monteavaro currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.

"Seahorse (Blue)" by Moncho 1929