Stolen 13 artwork, inspired by Gardner heist, sold to private collector

BOSTON — Nearly 30 years after two thieves disguised as Boston Police officers pulled off the Gardner Heist, a Boston artist has announced he has sold his collection of art inspired by the Gardner theft. Giovanni DeCunto created the Stolen 13, his interpretations of the 13 stolen Gardner pieces.

In February 2019, Giovanni publicly displayed the Stolen 13 for the first time. Now, nearly two years later, Giovanni told Boston 25 News that his entire Stolen 13 collection has been sold to a private collector for an undisclosed sum.

In a Zoom conversation, Giovanni explained that friends gave him the idea to create the Stolen 13, and friends also helped him sell the entire collection.

“That we sold them in the pandemic, I think, becomes a great source of inspiration for people to band together,” Giovanni said.

Related: New England’s Unsolved: 30 years later, $500M worth of art remains missing

The Lawrence native studied at Boston University and his artwork is shown in galleries across the United States and around the world.

Giovanni said he has long admired the stolen Gardner artwork and hopes the attention generated by the sale of his Stolen 13 collection might shed new light on the still-unsolved Gardner heist.

“In art, when you really look, it’s a brotherhood,” Giovanni said. “You join a family and you go along with that family. I inherited this, and I just try to bring to it what it is I can even add to it.”

The stolen Gardner artwork has not been seen since it was stolen on March 18, 1990. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is offering a $10 million reward for its recovery.

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