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)
Van Gogh in the Tropics, 1999

Roy De Forest

Van Gogh in the Tropics, 1999

Sale Date: October 22, 2018

Auction Closed

The Castaways, 1975, 1975

Roy De Forest

The Castaways, 1975, 1975

Sale Date: September 28, 2018

Auction Closed

A Pug, 2001

Roy De Forest

A Pug, 2001

Sale Date: September 30, 2018

Auction Closed

Black and White Figural Studies with Dogs..., 1951

Roy De Forest

Black and White Figural Studies with Dogs..., 1951

Sale Date: August 12, 2018

Auction Closed

Island, 1971

Roy De Forest

Island, 1971

Sale Date: August 22, 2018

Auction Closed

An Equestrian Conversation, 1971

Roy De Forest

An Equestrian Conversation, 1971

Sale Date: August 22, 2018

Auction Closed

Luck of the Red Cross Dog, 1997

Roy De Forest

Luck of the Red Cross Dog, 1997

Sale Date: May 2, 2018

Auction Closed

Indian Joe reads the major works of Edmund..., 1964

Roy De Forest

Indian Joe reads the major works of Edmund..., 1964

Sale Date: December 13, 2017

Auction Closed

Steamship and Wolf, 1979

Roy De Forest

Steamship and Wolf, 1979

Sale Date: December 13, 2017

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1978

Roy De Forest

Untitled, 1978

Sale Date: December 13, 2017

Auction Closed

Prophet sighting Bigfoot, 1988

Roy De Forest

Prophet sighting Bigfoot, 1988

Sale Date: December 13, 2017

Auction Closed

ROUGH WATER AHEAD, 1977

Roy De Forest

ROUGH WATER AHEAD, 1977

Sale Date: December 7, 2017

Auction Closed

THE HORSEY SET, 1979

Roy De Forest

THE HORSEY SET, 1979

Sale Date: December 7, 2017

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1979

Roy De Forest

Untitled, 1979

Sale Date: December 2, 2017

Auction Closed

Untitled (Indian #2), 2002

Roy De Forest

Untitled (Indian #2), 2002

Sale Date: December 2, 2017

Auction Closed

Country Life, 1971

Roy De Forest

Country Life, 1971

Sale Date: December 2, 2017

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1965

Roy De Forest

Untitled, 1965

Sale Date: December 14, 2017

Auction Closed

BLACK DOGS

Roy De Forest

BLACK DOGS

Sale Date: November 19, 2017

Auction Closed

Bigfoot I, 1985–1986

Roy De Forest

Bigfoot I, 1985–1986

Sale Date: July 18, 2017

Auction Closed

Untitled (Camping, 1983

Roy De Forest

Untitled (Camping, 1983

Sale Date: May 21, 2017

Auction Closed

Albert, 2000

Roy De Forest

Albert, 2000

Sale Date: April 26, 2017

Auction Closed

The Dog, 1975

Roy De Forest

The Dog, 1975

Sale Date: February 19, 2017

Auction Closed

Untitled (Figures and Dogs), 1978

Roy De Forest

Untitled (Figures and Dogs), 1978

Sale Date: February 19, 2017

Auction Closed

The Panhandle, 1961

Roy De Forest

The Panhandle, 1961

Sale Date: November 1, 2016

Auction Closed