Forrest Bess

Forrest Clemenger Bess (October 5, 1911 – November 10, 1977) was an American painter and fisherman. He was discovered and promoted by the art dealer Betty Parsons. He is known for his abstract, symbol-laden paintings based on what he called "visions."

Early life Bess was born on October 5, 1911, in Bay City, Texas to Arnold "Butch" Bess, an oil field worker, and Minta Lee Bess. Bess first experienced the "visions" he would use later in his art as a young child. His first introduction to oil painting were works done by a neighbor, and at thirteen years old he began lessons in painting from another neighbor.

During World War II, he enlisted in the Army Corps of Engineers and was given the task of designing camouflage. However, he was later moved to MacDill Air Force Base at Tampa, Florida, to teach bricklaying. He suffered a psychological breakdown, took a leave of absence, and then transferred to teaching painting at a convalescent hospital. He experienced visions or dreams, which he set down in his paintings.

Bess's paintings are generally small and abstract.

In 2013 and 2014, the museum retrospective "Forrest Bess: Seeing Things Invisible" exhibited nearly 50 of his paintings and was curated by Clare Elliott, assistant curator of the Menil Collection.

Bess is often characterized as an artist outside established schools or movements, known for a highly personal artistic vision. His body of work includes approximately 100 small paintings, many displayed in simple driftwood frames that he built himself. The majority of these paintings are held in private collections.

Museums with works by Bess include the Menil Collection, Houston; the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; the City by the Sea Museum in Palacios, Texas; the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York; the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.