A documentary film about famed twin artists Daniel and Dennis Blagg hits the silver screen in Fort Worth after nearly a year in the works.
“Eye to Eye: Two Lives in Art” premieres April 22 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and details the Blaggs’ West Texas upbringing and how the brothers have built their careers in the city’s contemporary art scene over more than five decades.
The Blagg brothers, 75, founded Artspace111 near downtown Fort Worth in 1980 as an art gallery and personal studios. Daniel is known for his realistic approach to painting abandoned urban spaces, while Dennis creates artworks depicting Big Bend and surrounding desert land.
Paintings by the twins can be found in the Modern’s permanent collection.
The 26-minute documentary offers an intimate look at how the Blaggs have influenced several local artists, including painters Nancy Lamb, Jim Malone and Jay Wilkinson. Two other Blagg brothers, Douglas and Woodraw, also became famed artists.
The film premieres in conjunction with the brothers’ exhibition “Eye to Eye” on view at Caravan of Dreams Gallery at 501 Houston St. The show runs through May 3.
Daniel Blagg previously said he felt it was the right time to share his experience, because “I’m not getting younger.”
If you go
What: Eye to Eye: Two Lives in Art, Daniel & Dennis Blagg
When: 7 p.m. April 22
Where: Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St.
Admission: Free
The film was spearheaded by executive producer Sarah Blagg, who is Daniel’s wife; Fort Worth director Tanner Lucas and Dallas editor Sierra Clark.
Fort Worth filmmaker Dakota Ford was originally attached as director, but Sarah Blagg said he exited the project due to “different visions” for the film.
Ford said he was proud of the foundation that he and Sarah built together for the film and wished nothing but the best for everyone involved with the project.
Lucas, 27, hopped into the director’s chair in September after being approached by Sarah, who had seen his cinematography in North Texas short films and commercials. “Eye to Eye” was his first documentary film, he said.
An especially intriguing aspect of serving as director was being able to dig through archival footage along with filming the artists at their studios, Lucas said.
Sarah Blagg hopes audiences walk away from the film with a deeper understanding of the “magnitude of the impact” the Blaggs have made on the North Texas art scene.
“Dan and Dennis have given a place for younger artists to be recognized and they’re right here in our own city,” she said.
The crew plans to submit the documentary to film festivals and explore ways to screen it at art museums across the U.S.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
The Fort Worth Report’s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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