Sacco and Vanzetti After the guilty verdicts were announced, American artist Ben Shahn produced a series of paintings to preserve the memory of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, who many immigrants, liberals, and civil libertarians believed were falsely accused and unfairly convicted. Even today, the 1927 executions symbolize for some the shortcomings of American justice. Digital Image Ben Shahn, Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco, 1931–