Artist
Forrest Bess (American, 1911–1977)American, 1911–1977
CultureAmerican
Titles
- Untitled (no. 28)
Date1950
MediumOil on linen
DimensionsCanvas: 10 5/8 × 13 in. (27 × 33 cm)
Frame (outer): 12 1/4 × 14 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (31.1 × 36.8 × 3.8 cm)
Frame (outer): 12 1/4 × 14 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (31.1 × 36.8 × 3.8 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Caroline Wiess Law Accessions Endowment Fund
Object number2019.27
Current Location
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building
Gallery 203
Exposé
Explore Further
Department
Modern and Contemporary ArtObject Type
a deeply personal thesis of human sexuality.
As he explored his own sense of gender fluidity,
he became fascinated by the eternal cycles of
regeneration found in the complementary
principles of masculine potency and feminine
fecundity. Untitled No. 28 was partly based on
a 14th-century mystical text that illustrated
the tree of life growing from Adam’s groin. Bess
translated this source into a bulbous tree,
rising from the earth under a nighttime sky.
ProvenanceThe artist; [Betty Parsons Gallery, New York]; Horace Richter, New York and Mt. Gilead, North Carolina; [Hirschler & Adler Modern]; Nora Howard, Houston; [Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, 2006]; William Hill Land & Cattle Company Collection; purchased by MFAH, 2019.
Exhibition History"Forrest Bess: Retrospective Exhibition," Betty Parsons Gallery, New York, January 8–27, 1962.
"Forrest Bess / Myron Stout: Bilder der 50e Jahre," Galerie Daniel Blau, Munich, November 23, 1996–January 25, 1997.
"Forrest Bess: Seeing Things Invisible," The Menil Collection, Houston, April 19–August 18, 2013; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, September 29, 2013–January 5, 2014.
"Forrest Bess," Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, March 5–May 14, 2016.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed on verso of frame: FB 250 RICHTER #28 1950
n.a.
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.
Forrest Prince
1988
Mixed media and found objects on charred wood panel
2020.229
