Roy De Forest

(American, 1930–2007)

Roy De Forest was an American painter best known for depictions of bizarre, often humorous scenes. Painted in vivid color, his works are frequently populated by cartoon dogs, farm animals, and dissolving forms. He is considered a pioneering figure in the Funk and Nut Art movements, along with other prominent artists like Peter Saul, Gladys Nilsson, and Jim Nutt. His work, Country Dog Gentlmen (1972), is a hallmark example of his self-described practice as an "obscure visual constructor of mechanical delights." Born on February 11, 1930 in North Platte, Nebraska to a farming family, his father was forced to move to them to Yakima, WA during the Great Depression. De Forest went on to study at the California School of Fine Arts, earning a BA in 1953. Later, while working as a sign painter for the US military, he earned his MFA from San Francisco State College. Today, the artist’s work can be found among the collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. De Forest died on May 18, 2007 in Vallejo, CA.

Roy De Forest Artworks

Roy De Forest (372 results)
Untitled (Dog Island), 1984

Roy De Forest

Untitled (Dog Island), 1984

Sale Date: April 4, 2020

Auction Closed

Untitled (Man Walking), 1984–1985

Roy De Forest

Untitled (Man Walking), 1984–1985

Sale Date: April 4, 2020

Auction Closed

Untitled - Camping with Dog and Horse, 1987

Roy De Forest

Untitled - Camping with Dog and Horse, 1987

Sale Date: March 11, 2020

Auction Closed

Untitled - Walking, 1987

Roy De Forest

Untitled - Walking, 1987

Sale Date: March 11, 2020

Auction Closed

The Story of Flight II

Roy De Forest

The Story of Flight II

Sale Date: February 23, 2020

Auction Closed

The Dog, 1975

Roy De Forest

The Dog, 1975

Sale Date: February 8, 2020

Auction Closed

The Story of Flight II

Roy De Forest

The Story of Flight II

Sale Date: November 17, 2019

Auction Closed

The Story of Flight I, 1995

Roy De Forest

The Story of Flight I, 1995

Sale Date: November 20, 2019

Auction Closed

Revolt of the Giant Boy, 1987

Roy De Forest

Revolt of the Giant Boy, 1987

Sale Date: November 20, 2019

Auction Closed

Untitled, 2005

Roy De Forest

Untitled, 2005

Sale Date: September 25, 2019

Auction Closed

Lamp with associated glass shade, 1970–1979

Roy de Forest and Clayton Bailey

Lamp with associated glass shade, 1970–1979

Sale Date: September 15, 2019

Auction Closed

Untitled, 2005

Roy De Forest

Untitled, 2005

Sale Date: August 10, 2019

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1996

Roy De Forest

Untitled, 1996

Sale Date: August 10, 2019

Auction Closed

Untitled (Figures and Dogs)

Roy De Forest

Untitled (Figures and Dogs)

Sale Date: May 19, 2019

Auction Closed

Abstract Rooster, 1952

Roy De Forest

Abstract Rooster, 1952

Sale Date: April 14, 2019

Auction Closed

Drawing, 1971

Roy De Forest

Drawing, 1971

Sale Date: December 13, 2018

Auction Closed

Drawing #616, 1979

Roy De Forest

Drawing #616, 1979

Sale Date: December 13, 2018

Auction Closed

Figures in a Boat, 1976

Roy De Forest

Figures in a Boat, 1976

Sale Date: December 8, 2018

Auction Closed

Dog in Tent, 1972

Roy De Forest

Dog in Tent, 1972

Sale Date: December 8, 2018

Auction Closed

A Traveler Returns to the Shetland Islands, 1962

Roy De Forest

A Traveler Returns to the Shetland Islands, 1962

Sale Date: November 29, 2018

Auction Closed

Untitled (Abstract) (+ 1), 1959

Roy De Forest

Untitled (Abstract) (+ 1), 1959

Sale Date: November 18, 2018

Auction Closed

Untitled (Figures and Dogs)

Roy De Forest

Untitled (Figures and Dogs)

Sale Date: November 18, 2018

Auction Closed

Big Foot #1, 1985

Roy De Forest

Big Foot #1, 1985

Sale Date: October 27, 2018

Auction Closed

A Dog's Eye View of Egypt, 1995

Roy De Forest

A Dog's Eye View of Egypt, 1995

Sale Date: October 27, 2018

Auction Closed