COMING HOME:
Paintings by Forrest Bess
In October 2022, our museum was gifted a painting by Forrest Bess found in the collection of Gaddis and Gene Geeslin of Bay City, TX. On April 15, we unveiled the full image at our Speakeasy Gala. From April 21 - June 24, we will showcase a number of Bess's paintings from private collections in Matagorda County.
Events
Opening Reception
Friday, April 21st
5:30 - 7:30pm
Special Guest Speakers: Judith Allen and Alicia Waters
Judith Allen knew Forrest Bess and curated an exhibition of his works in 1977 before he died. Alicia Waters is the creator of Bay City's Camofest. She created the event to honor Forrest's contribution of a camouflage pattern developed and used by the U.S. Army when he served during World War II.
Special Guest Talk by Frank McMillan, III
Saturday, Mary 13th
2:30pm - 4:00pm
City by the Sea Museum
In a story too amazing to be anything but true, Frank N. McMillan, III will tell how a synchronistic encounter with the visionary abstract expressionist painter, Forrest Bess, in a roadside diner on the Texas Gulf Coast saved his father's life and changed the history of the world.
Frank N. McMillan III is an award-winning author, educator, and speaker in Corpus Christi, Texas. In 2012, Texas A&M University Press released his non-fiction work, Finding Jung: Frank N. McMillan Jr., A Life in Quest of the Lion, an exploration of his father’s personal experience of the objective psyche. The following year, he was inducted into the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP) as an honorary member at its XIX International Congress held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Special Guest Lecture by Clare Elliott, Menil Collection
Saturday, June 17th
2pm - 3pm
Matagorda County Museum
Clare Elliott is an Associate Research Curator at the Menil Collection in Houston and has curated a number of exhibitions including one titled Forrest Bess: Seeing Things Invisible that traveled to four different locations within the United States in 2014. Clare received her BA in Art History and Economics from the University of Texas and her MA in Art History from Williams College. She also was the co-author of the exhibition catalog for Seeing Things Invisible.
Screening of "Forrest Bess: Key to the Riddle"
Saturday, June 24th
2:30pm - 4:00pm
City by the Sea Museum
Join us for our closing event and special screening of "Forrest Bess: Key to the Riddle." Please note that this film is for mature audiences only and no children will be allowed for this screening. Special guest in attendance, Gerald Ludwig, who was interviewed for the film and a friend of Forrest.
UPDATE: Chuck Smith, Director of this documentary, will be introducing his film virtually - so be sure to come early!
Description:
Painter, fisherman, visionary, eccentric - Forrest Bess lived his life in obscurity, at an isolated bait camp off the East Coast of Texas. From 1949 through 1967, Bess showed at the Betty Parsons Gallery in New York City, (along with artists like Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko). But Bess’ art was only part of a grander theory, based on alchemy, Jungian philosophy, and aboriginal rituals, which proposed that hermaphrodism was the key to immortality. As an artist, Bess could never equivocate, and in 1961 he underwent an operation to become a pseudo-hermaphrodite. Narrated by award-winning actor Willem Dafoe, “Forrest Bess: Key to the Riddle” combines the beauty of Bess’ art with the drama and tragedy of his personal life. Interviews with people who knew Bess, including art historian Meyer Schapiro (his last interview) and Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman bring to life this forgotten artist. “Forrest Bess: Key to the Riddle” is a fascinating look at one of America’s most unusual and creative artists.
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