Samantha Calimbahin
Scott and Stuart Gentling's concept art of Bass Hall's dome mural hangs next to paintings of famous composers.
Of Birds and Texas — a massive book filled with lifelike portraits of winged creatures and Texas landscapes — is considered a landmark work by Fort Worth artists (and brothers) Scott and Stuart Gentling. But when the Gentlings first approached the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in 1986, hoping to sell original paintings from the publication, the museum declined.
"We said no. It's outside of our scope. We don't collect that contemporary. It's too new," says Jonathan Frembling, Gentling curator and head archivist at the Carter Museum.
If Frembling's title is any indication, things have certainly changed at the Carter — the museum today serves as home to the Gentling Study Center, which carries the largest institutional holdings of the brothers’ work and an archive of research materials on their careers.
On Saturday, the museum will debut "Imagined Realism," the first-ever deep dive into the Gentlings' life and art. About 160 works are on display on the museum's second floor, including paintings, sketches, and sculptures depicting everything from natural landscapes to everyday people. The exhibit also features notable portraits, like that of President George W. Bush and Fort Worth icon Kit Moncrief, as well as concept art from what's perhaps the Gentling's most recognizable local work — the Great Dome mural at Bass Performance Hall. The opening of "Imagined Realism" also accompanies the publication of a monograph of the same name.
"The Gentlings are a great example of how, what may not be something we collect today could be something we collect tomorrow," Frembling says. "They probably would have never guessed that their work was going to end up here. They got rebuffed; we said no. Not anymore, though. This is what's exciting about working at a museum — they're not static things. We have so many wonderful stories in this building that we can tell, and those stories continue to grow as we find new artists."
In that spirit, Anila Quayyum Agha's "A Beautiful Despair" will also debut Saturday — a new sculpture commissioned by the museum that features a steel box with a single light source at the center, filling the room with intricate, patterned shadows.
It all happens the same day as the Carter's 60th Birthday Bash, taking place on the museum lawn with live music, food trucks, and fireworks. More information on all events is available at cartermuseum.org.
