Featured Artist Daniel Del Carpio

Daniel Del Carpio is an incredibly talented multicultural artist. Originally from Lima, Peru, Daniel grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, from the age of 11, surrounded by many diverse cultures that sparked his inspiration early on. After graduating from East Boston College, Del Carpio enlisted in the Marine Corps, serving in the 0311 Infantry from 1977-1981. While also participating in his love for soccer, Daniel also attended Miami Dade North Community College and earned his associate in arts degree. Daniel obtained his bachelor's in fine arts degree later in 1997 from Florida International University while also starting museum shows on the side. After moving to Phoenix, Arizona, in 2000, Del Carpio began his master's in fine arts degree at Arizona State University, where he only completed one year in the decision to start selling his artwork to private collectors and focus on painting full-time.  

Daniel has shared that, like many others, he is greatly inspired by Native American cultures- as he is part indigenous. Having recently sold his home in Miami, Florida, to move here to Bentonville, Arkansas, this area appealed to him the most as Native American cultures are respected and represented in a positive light here. Del Carpio was initially drawn to Bentonville from the Kindred Spirits painting bought by Alice Walton in 2005, where, in an interview, she was asked, "What does one do when they buy a $35 million painting?" and she answered with, "You build a museum around it." In 2011, the Crystal Bridges Museum opened to the public.   

Being Americanized as an indigenous person was common during Daniel's childhood in Peru. Indigenous people were seen as second-class citizens in many places, and because of this, Daniel would hide who he was to give himself better opportunities in school, jobs, and social status. However, these ideals are slowly disappearing, and Daniel wants to keep these cultures alive while also praising the societies that never allowed their culture to be tampered with.  

Daniel has given the Museum of Native American History the honor of displaying his Three Faces of Sitting Bull portraits, representing the legendary Lakota leader, military strategist, and medicine man. Starting with rough sketches, Daniel took days creating and communicating these paintings, making sure he was telling a story through the paint strokes. Negative space, value, color, and composition were combined to create the three paintings, all with symbols connecting to Sitting Bull. Through these symbols, Daniel tries to put a message into his paintings to educate and connect his audience to the subject through something they have never seen before.   

We asked Daniel why he decided to partner with MONAH.   

"Being able to share the Native American culture is so important and dear to my heart because if we are not careful, the culture could disappear from the face of the earth. I want to give back, and there is no better way to do that than showing the skill and talent that God has given me through my artwork."  

MONAH is honored to work with Daniel and display his artwork. Our hope is to continue to provide a platform for contemporary indigenous artist and their stories. Del Carpio's work is now available inside our museum gift shop!  

Three Faces of Sitting Bull - Originals By: Daniel Del Carpio (Peruvian)

Daniel has given the Museum Of Native American History the honor of displaying his Three Faces of Sitting Bull portraits, representing the legendary Lakota leader, military strategist, and medicine man.

Starting with rough sketches, Daniel took days to create these paintings and communicate with them to ensure he was telling a story through the paint strokes. Negative space, value, color, and composition were combined to create the three paintings, all with symbols connecting to Sitting Bull. Through these symbols, Daniel tries to put a message into his paintings to educate and connect people to the subject through something they have never seen before.

Portraits can be sold separately; however, the artist recommends selling them together as a single collection and it is best perceived as a whole.