Artist recreates stolen Gardner Museum works

BOSTON — Next month will mark the 29th anniversary of the largest single property theft in history.

On March 18, 1990, two men dressed as police officers broke into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and made off with 13 pieces of valuable art.

Now a local artist, Giovanni DeCunto, is creating his own versions of the stolen paintings and presenting them in an exhibit called "The Stolen 13."

The exhibit will open to the public on March 1.

DeCunto, a self-described global expressionist, is taking on some of the most famous artists in history, including Rembrandt, Degas and Manet.

“The heist was impactful to me because, as a student, I copied all of those paintings and studied all those painters in the museums of Boston,” said DeCunto as he explained his motivation for creating this show.

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DeCunto considers this exhibit a way to pay tribute to something that may never again see the light of day.

“I think it’s my contribution to ... what is lost,” DeCunto told Boston 25 News.

John Garton, a professor of art history at Clark University in Worcester, said artists are often inspired by another’s work.

“DeCunto is more in the spirit, I think of bringing attention to them," Garton said. "More of an homage to these great artists and what they meant in terms of inspiring his own work.”

Garton believes an exhibit like this might reap other benefits.

“We have to keep the theft in mind, if there’s the slimmest chance it can be solved," he said.

In a statement, a Gardner Museum spokesperson told us: “The theft investigation is ongoing and active. Finding the stolen works and restoring them to their rightful place for the public to enjoy is our highest priority. We at the Gardner are pleased to know that, even in their absence, these missing works continue to inspire contemporary artists today.”

Garton told us that art thefts are only solved about 10 to 15 percent of the time, but that there is precedent for breaking a case decades after a painting is swiped.

"The New England community lost a huge treasure, owing really to two people who stole them,” said Garton.  “We need to stay attentive to that and see if there’s any way we can get them back.”

All 13 paintings will be unveiled for the first time on Feb. 26 at a private event. The exhibit will open to the public in March at the artist's studio near South Station.

Cox Media Group