Help me learn more about the artist Amos Gentry
January 8, 2025 2:02 PM Subscribe
Framed in her living room, my mother-in-law has a ... racially problematic print signed by Amos Gentry. Here's the exact image from an eBay listing (CW: racially stereotypical imagery). I'd like to know more about the artist.
I find the image deeply offensive. My MiL regards it differently, but that's not the issue here, exactly.
In cursory searching, I've been unable to find much about Amos Gentry, except for some scuttlebutt on Reddit and the like. (I'm not linking to it here because I don't want to influence the answers.) Suffice it to say, though, that there's some dispute over the artist's identity, racial identity, and even their very existence. But I can find no hard facts about the artist at all.
Can you help me learn more about this artist and/or this print, which is (I gather) of a painting called "Eva's Fruit Stand"? Thank you!
I find the image deeply offensive. My MiL regards it differently, but that's not the issue here, exactly.
In cursory searching, I've been unable to find much about Amos Gentry, except for some scuttlebutt on Reddit and the like. (I'm not linking to it here because I don't want to influence the answers.) Suffice it to say, though, that there's some dispute over the artist's identity, racial identity, and even their very existence. But I can find no hard facts about the artist at all.
Can you help me learn more about this artist and/or this print, which is (I gather) of a painting called "Eva's Fruit Stand"? Thank you!
Yeah, note that the painting itself is signed "AMOS," and the last name is only added on the matting. That is the case in a few other pieces I found online. I looked up Amos Gentry in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Art/Grove Art Encyclopedia, and there's no one by that name.
Did you see the biography listed with one of the prints? And note that the painting itself sold for only $12.50.
There is a famous folk artist with the first name Amos, Amos Ferguson, one of the premier Bahamian artists of the 20th century. He died in 2009, and much of his art depicted everyday life in the Bahamas. It doesn't look exactly like what you've posted (and I don't mean to suggest that Amos Ferguson painted your mother-in-law's painting), but I do wonder if someone was trying to capitalize on Ferguson's first name and Black folks art more generally. Amos Ferguson had a surge of popularity in the US in the mid-80s. Wikipedia says, "Widespread recognition came to him in 1978 when Sukie Miller, an American collector, bought some of his paintings. His art debuted in the U.S. with a 1985 exhibition at the Wadsworth Atheneum, which featured 50 of his paintings."
I'm not sure who painted that, but you're not missing information about this artist.
posted by bluedaisy at 2:32 PM on January 8 [4 favorites]
Did you see the biography listed with one of the prints? And note that the painting itself sold for only $12.50.
There is a famous folk artist with the first name Amos, Amos Ferguson, one of the premier Bahamian artists of the 20th century. He died in 2009, and much of his art depicted everyday life in the Bahamas. It doesn't look exactly like what you've posted (and I don't mean to suggest that Amos Ferguson painted your mother-in-law's painting), but I do wonder if someone was trying to capitalize on Ferguson's first name and Black folks art more generally. Amos Ferguson had a surge of popularity in the US in the mid-80s. Wikipedia says, "Widespread recognition came to him in 1978 when Sukie Miller, an American collector, bought some of his paintings. His art debuted in the U.S. with a 1985 exhibition at the Wadsworth Atheneum, which featured 50 of his paintings."
I'm not sure who painted that, but you're not missing information about this artist.
posted by bluedaisy at 2:32 PM on January 8 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for the responses so far!
bluedaisy, that's exactly the kind of info I'd found. The putative artist bio sounds, frankly, made-up, like it was created for the script of a bad TV show from 1961.
I can't find much else besides generalized references to "folk art" and "outsider art," and some speculation about whether the artist even exists.
The fact that the imagery is so plainly racist, yet the artist is putatively Black, is what makes this so strange and complicated for me.
posted by Dr. Wu at 2:36 PM on January 8
bluedaisy, that's exactly the kind of info I'd found. The putative artist bio sounds, frankly, made-up, like it was created for the script of a bad TV show from 1961.
I can't find much else besides generalized references to "folk art" and "outsider art," and some speculation about whether the artist even exists.
The fact that the imagery is so plainly racist, yet the artist is putatively Black, is what makes this so strange and complicated for me.
posted by Dr. Wu at 2:36 PM on January 8
I'd take a look at the Amos Ferguson folk art to see some examples of Black people depicted in folk art by Black artists. I suspect you are reacting to the red lips and watermelon, right? Ferguson's art includes Black and white people with bright red lips. I don't think it's enough to say that what we perceive now as racist caricatures could never be painted by Black people. But I think you're right to doubt the provenance of this piece. And also, it might be a mystery lost to time! (The 1988 part could be made up, too.)
posted by bluedaisy at 2:47 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]
posted by bluedaisy at 2:47 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]
> Herbert Gentry could be another artist being referenced?
posted by HearHere at 3:06 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]
posted by HearHere at 3:06 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]
A few different auction listings mention the prints being sold through Ethan Allen at some point. This has a bio with some similarities to the one bluedaisy found, and directly says that "Amos Gentry" is a pseudonym.
posted by Why Is The World In Love Again? at 4:00 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]
posted by Why Is The World In Love Again? at 4:00 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]
Couple hits on WorldCat, but didn't find any leads from there.
posted by gregr at 4:21 PM on January 8
posted by gregr at 4:21 PM on January 8
Response by poster: WITWILA, that's the most detailed and specific thing I've seen so far on the artist - nice find! I wish it addressed the depiction of race in the images, but it's a very good lead.
posted by Dr. Wu at 4:32 PM on January 8
posted by Dr. Wu at 4:32 PM on January 8
It's also possible that "Amos" (which is the only signature) is a last name. It doesn't really look like what I've seen of Ludie Amos's work, though.
To me, the images read way more "outsider art" than "deliberate racial stereotype," but I admit the watermelon raises questions.
posted by praemunire at 5:24 PM on January 8 [12 favorites]
To me, the images read way more "outsider art" than "deliberate racial stereotype," but I admit the watermelon raises questions.
posted by praemunire at 5:24 PM on January 8 [12 favorites]
The fact that the imagery is so plainly racist, yet the artist is putatively Black, is what makes this so strange and complicated for me.
Dude, what praemunire said just above. To my mind, it is not so much an example of outsider art as it is an example of naive realism. Which is, tldr, art produced by untrained artists. As for the racism, seeing it in the work of an African American naive realist artist is a walk into some weeds you do not want to tread too overthought plate of legumes deep. Calling it racist is a step a bit too elongated as far as I am concerned. Calling the work of any artist of color racist opens a very wormy can of beans indeed. In my humble opinion, unless you are a black person yourself, I don't think you really want to step there. On the other hand, if you are, I am throwing up my hands and tiptoeing out of this minefield but pronto.
posted by y2karl at 9:42 PM on January 8 [11 favorites]
Dude, what praemunire said just above. To my mind, it is not so much an example of outsider art as it is an example of naive realism. Which is, tldr, art produced by untrained artists. As for the racism, seeing it in the work of an African American naive realist artist is a walk into some weeds you do not want to tread too overthought plate of legumes deep. Calling it racist is a step a bit too elongated as far as I am concerned. Calling the work of any artist of color racist opens a very wormy can of beans indeed. In my humble opinion, unless you are a black person yourself, I don't think you really want to step there. On the other hand, if you are, I am throwing up my hands and tiptoeing out of this minefield but pronto.
posted by y2karl at 9:42 PM on January 8 [11 favorites]
Mod note: Comment removed. Please remember that AskMetafitler has stricter guidelines, where comments should be providing answers. And similar to the rest of the site, please avoid insulting other members when commenting.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 5:55 AM on January 9 [1 favorite]
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 5:55 AM on January 9 [1 favorite]
I found another auction listing of your mil's print, this one has a little artist bio on a tag - 5th image in slideshow
posted by euphoria066 at 2:48 PM on January 9 [1 favorite]
posted by euphoria066 at 2:48 PM on January 9 [1 favorite]
I think you should read this essay: Exploring the Symbolic Importance of Watermelon in African American Culture before you make assumptions about this piece of art.
Without knowing anything about the artist, I don't think we can determine that this image is racist just because it depicts a Black person selling watermelon. Is/was Amos Gentry a Black outsider artist painting what they know? Are/were they a white person pretending to be a Black outsider artist? Are/were they a white outsider artist trading in stereotypes of Black people? A rich white person from Connecticut painting images of the rural South in a cynical ploy to make a buck? More information is needed.
posted by oneirodynia at 12:44 PM on January 10
Without knowing anything about the artist, I don't think we can determine that this image is racist just because it depicts a Black person selling watermelon. Is/was Amos Gentry a Black outsider artist painting what they know? Are/were they a white person pretending to be a Black outsider artist? Are/were they a white outsider artist trading in stereotypes of Black people? A rich white person from Connecticut painting images of the rural South in a cynical ploy to make a buck? More information is needed.
posted by oneirodynia at 12:44 PM on January 10
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posted by PussKillian at 2:30 PM on January 8