GIOVANNI DECUNTO
By Brigitte Andrade

 
Driven to paint, Giovanni DeCunto knew at the young age of seven 
that he would be an artist of such strength and talent
that the world would know him. All of his life, he has been creating
paintings themed around individualism and freedom while displaying the greatness of man. This artist’s interests lie with history and redefining historical movements. In his mid-twenties, Giovanni’s art became a part of the permanent collections at the Smithsonian, Harvard University’s Fogg Museum, the MIT Historical Collection, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He came to the attention of the White 
House curator at the time, Rex Scouten, as well as then President 
George Bush, and contributed paintings to Barbara Bush for her 
literacy campaign. 
  
A turbulent childhood, set in the tough streets of Lawrence and 
 resembling a chapter out of Oliver Twist, did not interfere with 
Giovanni’s ambitions. Living on his own in an abandoned building 
during his teen years, attending school, and working a full-time, 
night-shift factory job,  Giovanni’s grit and determination enabled 
him to graduate from high school and pursue his dream of attending 
art school. He was first accepted to Vesper George Art School, but 
soon realized a more sophisticated level of training was needed and 
was accepted to the Art Institute of Boston. To support himself he 
worked day and night to produce paintings, which he sold in order 
to survive. After a year, Giovanni left the Institute and set up his own 
studio on Boylston Street, marketing his paintings and fine-tuning 
his techniques. 
 
In 1984 he was offered a full four-year scholarship to Boston University’s School of Fine and Applied Arts. After completing BU and turning down Oxford, he accepted an International Fellowship for Renaissance Study at the University of Padua in Italy, a mecca for the Classics masters. He began to receive significant recognition during this time. 
 
By the early 90’s, Giovanni’s robust mode of expression attempted 
to redefine classical genre by merging impressionism, expression- 
ism and other significant movements.  When commissioned by the 
GOP in 1992 to create a centerpiece entitled “The Spirit of America” 
for the Republican National Convention, he had already established 
a relationship with Rex Scouten, Curator of the White House, who  
introduced him to Very Special Arts in Washington, DC. Giovanni was 
among six artists chosen for the two-year world tour, “An American 
Collection.” This tour brought his paintings into permanent collec- 
tions such as The University of Kentucky, The Reusch Collection in 
Zurich, Switzerland, and The Monarch Club. In 1997, he exhibited at 
the EUNO Royal Museum in Japan commensurate with a retrospec- 
tive of Jackson Pollack and Robert Maplethorpe. 

The physical and emotional reaction to Giovanni DeCunto’s work is 
as powerful as the work itself - vibrant, intense and in all cases, 
compelling, His paintings are a canvas where chaos and order col- 
lide. His style resonates with a unique quality; his discipline is that of 
a classical painter, yet contemporary elements are clearly evident. 
He applies paint directly from the tube to the canvas, reversing the 
traditional methods to create provocative imagery. His collection of 
paintings depict individuals and political-historical events that have 
influenced and contributed to shaping cultures around the world. 
 
A voyeur of the current culture, Giovanni began painting icons in the 
late 90’s such as Gianni Versace, Michael Jordan, Robert DeNiro, 
Frank Sinatra, JFK Jr. and others. Prominent collectors continue to 
procure his work and establish his reputation: Reebok World Head- 
quarters, Children’s Hospital Boston, Scutter, Clark and Stevens and 
Ropes and Grey are among this discerning group. Giovanni’s work 
was recently featured on a  two-hour, prime-time “Survivor” CBS 
special, with the cameras rolling in to capture the artist in his stu- 
dio where he created the painting “Sweet Victory,” an inspirational 
piece of the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series. The piece 
was bought by one of the stars of the show and presented to her  
fiancée in front of millions of viewers. Altitudes Magazine, the exclusive  Parisian-based publication, recently printed an interview with  Giovanni and is the first time the magazine has highlighted an individual artist. In the article, Herve Chandes, Director of the Cartier Foundation,  elegantly articulates his impression of Giovanni DeCunto, the artist: “His work is stunning, both in its critical dimension towards contem- porary society as well as in the aesthetics he develops.” 

In 2022 Giovanni opened his own Art gallery in Boston.

Please visit
www.giovannidecunto.com