Giovanni’s paintings have been included in some of the most prestigious art collections in the United States, Europe and Japan. Over the course of his life, this classically trained artist has developed his own incarnation of pop expressionism, exploring the faces and events of modern, global culture. The physical and emotional reaction to Giovanni DeCunto’s work is as powerful as the work itself - vibrant, intense and in all cases, compelling.
1983 The Massachusetts Institute of Technology commissioned Giovanni to paint the historical portrait of Dr. Harold Edgerton, a champion in the development of sonar, strobe lighting and highspeed photography. This single painting spurred several exhibitions and permanent collection acquisitions by such prestigious institutions as The Smithsonian Institute, the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, and both the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Science in Boston.
1984 Giovanni was offered a full four-year scholarship to Boston University, where he honed his classical and modern painting techniques and majored in art history. While studying with Jack Wilson (realism), David Aronson (expressionism) and Robert D’Arista (art technique?), he was profoundly influenced by the expressionist traditions of Oscar Kokoschka, Philip Guston and Jack Levine.
1989 Giovanni creates a series of paintings entitled, “Memories of Italy”, inspired by a unique one-year fellowship, awarded by Boston University, to study Renaissance art in Padua, Italy. One painting in the series was purchased by the City of Boston and presented to the City of Padua as part of an ongoing cultural exchange program.
Early 1990s Giovanni’s creative appeal widens as he exhibited at locations throughout the country, including several one-man shows.
1992 Giovanni was as commissioned by the Republican Party to create a centerpiece for the Republican National Convention entitled, “The Spirit of America”, which was held at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas for future President George Bush.
1992 Giovanni donated a number of pieces with early implications of social activism, such as his work “Icon Through the Ages”, which he gave to the Metropolitan Community Church of Boston, one of the first Gay Churches at Old West as a response to rising discrimination and attacks on homosexuals, and “Eternal Star”, which he gave to the Rubenovitz Museum at the temple Mishkan Tefila in Newton, Massachusetts to voice his concern for anti-Semitism.
1993 Giovanni’s work was chosen by U.S. Ambassador Richard Muller to be displayed in the United States Embassy in Hong Kong. Later that year, Giovanni was commissioned to paint historical por- traits of the King and Queen of Hawaii.
1995 Giovanni was invited to open Gene Mallard’s new gallery in Georgetown, Washington, DC., with an elaborate one-man show. At the same time, the world tour of “An American Collection” was bringing the artist’s work into collections at places like the University of Kentucky, Scudder Steven and Clark Investments, the Monarch Club Collection, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and the Reusch Collection in Zurich, Switzerland.
Mid 1990s Giovanni joined Ralph Lauren and Norma Kamali as one of the top 100 designers from across the world chosen to create a unique denim jacket with Levi Strauss to benefit AIDS research. The artist’s painting, “Desert Storm”, was also exhibited in Washington, D.C. at the Renaissance Gallery, and was procured by the U.S. National Archives for the Bush Presidential Library (along with Giovanni’s lithograph entitled, “In God We Trust”).
Late 1990s Giovanni’s work hit Japan with such force that noted museums such as the ENUO Museum exhibited his paintings simultaneously with a retrospective of Jackson Pollock and Robert Mapplethorpe. The Prince of Japan and Senator Walter Mondale inaugurated the museum.
1998 Giovanni was painting celebrities such as Eric Wynalda, Rog- er Clemens, Mark McGwire, Frank Thomas, Dennis Berkcamp and others. His paintings were displayed at the Reebok World Headquarters and unveiled to the public at such venues as Fenway Park and Foxboro Stadium. Fidelity Investments opened a one-man show of the artist, and the Boston Harbor Hotel procured a number of his paintings.
Early 2000s Giovanni articulates a strong sense of social consciousness and political awareness in his work garnering acclaim on regional, national and international levels, including a 9/11 mural that thousands viewed in Boston, Massachusetts.
2004 Giovanni has been commissioned by both corporations and private collectors; his mural of the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox was featured on a national prime-time TV show.
2005 Giovanni was selected to convey the vision of the largest up and coming neighborhood in Boston, the Waterfront. He was com- missioned by Joe Fallon, of the Fallon Group to concretize the vision that Joe Fallon had of this new neighborhood as a testament to Giovanni’s forward-thinking, visionary style. His work, which debuted at the Institute of Contemporary Art, encompassed three panels spanning 20 feet-Giovanni’s work ushered in a new revitalization of a neighborhood that consciously incorporates art and artists into its very fabric.
2013 Cosmic Prayer a phosphorescent mural commemorating the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings and the 2013 Red Sox Mural were covered by local and national news.
Early 90s – 2015 Collectors include celebrities, dignitaries, heads of state, and corporate powerhouses. Giovanni painted King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz for his grandson, Sheik Ahmed, King and Queen Kalakaua of Hawaii for the Queen’s Hospital and has presented numerous portraitures to celebrities. Some notable examples include Tony Bennett, Shaquille O’Neal, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Ted Cutler, Lionel Ritchie, and Doc Rivers.
2015 Giovanni’s work continues to be recognized by contemporary galleries and was selected for a premier show at DTR Modern galleries in Boston with his paintings hanging alongside masterpieces of Salvador Dali. DTR Modern focuses on elite contemporary artists with the likes of Chagall, Dali, Matisse, Miro, Picasso, Basquiat and Warhol. Most recently in New York, Giovanni’s work has also received critical acclaim at the newly opened Grumman Gallery, part of Grumman Studios the largest tv and movie production studio in New York for his show “The Spirit and the Modern”. While back in Boston, his work is been sought after by local government, premier universities, and cutting-edge show room/restaurant spaces like Liquid Art House. Giovanni started to work with Area Nine painting commission work and selling to their private collection. Giovanni was asked to be featured in New Balance Made in America mini website series. Blue Foot TV filmed Giovanni for two days in Lawrence, MA at New Balance factory and in Giovanni studio. The video feature Giovanni painting and talking about what it means to him to be an American painter. The New Balance video featured on YouTube are called American Expressionist has compelling passion for America, and Roots of Craftsmanship.
2016 Giovanni kicked off year by Ernie Boch Jr. commissioning Giovanni to paint his grandfather and father for New England Subaru Headquarters. Giovanni was presented the keys to the city of Lawrence. Through Celebrity Arts, David Ortiz signed 34 of Giovanni’s prints. For Ernie Boch, Giovanni painted Trump and had Trump sign the painting. Mike Morocco, a businessman in Connecticut and South Beach bought numerous paintings as well.
2017 Giovanni moves his gallery from his Lewis Street studio in the North End, Giovanni DeCunto unveils his new series called “The Family,” at The W Gallery. He is also featured in several magazines like “The North End Waterfront” and “Art Bodega Magazine.
2019 In 2019 marked the 29th anniversary of one of the most infamous art theft mysteries in the world. Giovanni honors that event by creating “The Stolen 13” series, which was exhibited at the Harvard Club of Boston at the Harvard Hall and the grand opening of the Four Seasons.
2021 Giovanni unveils his “American Flag and Dynamic Abstract” series at The Palm Beach Art, Antique & Design Showroom.
