A Contemporary Phenomenon: The Gentling Retrospective at the Carter

Although they were born in Rochester, Minnesota, and didn’t move to North Texas until they were five, in a very real sense Scott and Stuart Gentling belong to Fort Worth.

Stuart Gentling (1942 – 2006), Harry, 1996, graphite, opaque and transparent watercolor on paper, Private collection, Amon Carter Museum of American Art

For the first time ever, the work of these fascinating twin brothers is receiving its due. The Amon Carter Museum of American Art is staging the first ever comprehensive retrospective of their work, Imagined Realism, through January 9, 2022.

“There’s something recognizable and universal in their art,” said Jonathan Frembling, Gentling Curator and Head Archivist. “You can put yourself into and feel in tune with it.”

Scott Gentling (1942 – 2011), Girl with an Orange (also called Pattie), 1966

Frembling was the archivist when Suzanne Gentling, Scott and Stuart’s younger sister, donated their archives to the museum. It was when he was processing all the materials that he realized that these artists have been overlooked.

“It was [the gift of the archives] that got us looking at them as a contemporary phenomenon,” Frembling said. “We had overlooked these guys… This is our second chance.”

Stay tuned for a more in-depth review of the show, as our editor is touring it with Frembling in a few weeks!

Scott Gentling (1942 – 2011), Kit Moncrief, ca. 1985, graphite, opaque and transparent watercolor on paper, Private collection, ┬⌐ Amon Carter Museum of American Art