Thomas Gentille, a pioneering figure in American studio jewelry, died in Manhattan in March 2026 at the age of 89. Born in Mansfield, OH, Gentille devoted more than six decades to redefining jewelry as a poetic and sculptural art form. He is widely regarded as one of the most important innovators in contemporary art jewelry.
Since the 1950s, Gentille was at the forefront of experimentation with both traditional and unconventional materials, challenging accepted notions of value and meaning in jewelry. Working with materials such as wood, stone, pigments, egg tempera, pumice, and laminate, he created objects of remarkable precision, balance, and quiet intensity—transforming jewelry into compact yet profound aesthetic and conceptual statements.
Gentille also played an important role as a teacher and mentor. He founded the jewelry program at the 92nd Street Y, in New York, which continues to this day. His widely read book, Step-by-Step Jewelry, published in 1968, introduced many artists to the field and inspired a new generation of makers.
Gentille’s work was widely exhibited internationally. Most notably, he was the only American artist to receive a solo exhibition at Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum, Pinakothek der Moderne, in Munich.[1] He also exhibited at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in Lisbon, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London. His work is documented in several publications, including the major catalog produced for the Munich exhibition.
[1] The exhibition was called Untitled. Thomas Gentille. American Jeweler, and it ran February 27–June 5, 2016. AJF published a review about it; find it here.
The opinions stated here do not necessarily express those of AJF.
We welcome your comments on our publishing, and we will publish letters that engage with our articles in a thoughtful and polite manner. Please submit letters to the editor electronically; do so here. The page on which we publish Letters to the Editor is here.
© 2026 Art Jewelry Forum. All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission. For reprint permission, contact info (at) artjewelryforum (dot) org
