BESS, Forrest; WESSELER, Moritz (ed.)
Forrest Bess

The ultimate Forrest Bess monograph! With an essay by Amy Sillman : ) Published in the aftermath of the 2020 exhibition at the Fridericianum, this book offers an opportunity to discover one of the most extraordinary figures in post-war American art: Forrest Bess, who described himself as a painter and fisherman and whose biomorphic abstractions cannot be assigned to any movement. Starting in the 1940s, he lived in isolation in Texas and created small paintings that reflect his visionary experiences between wakefulness and sleep. Bess combined his art with an intense exploration of mythology, psychology, and sexology. Believing that immortality could be achieved through the union of the masculine and feminine, he underwent medical procedures. 

His unconventional works received posthumous recognition in international exhibitions and influenced many contemporary artists such as Tomma Abts, Richard Hawkins or James Benning.

With texts by Tomma Abts, Amy Sillman, Moritz Wesseler, and Dieter Schwarz.

[publishers’ note]

Published by Fridericianum / Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, 2025
Monographs / Painting