Roy De Forest Paintings

American, 1930-2007

Roy De Forest (1930–2007) was an American painter associated with the Bay Area Funk Art movement, known for his exuberant, imaginative compositions that blend figuration, fantasy, and humor. Based primarily in Northern California, De Forest developed a highly distinctive visual language populated by stylized animals, hybrid creatures, and symbolic forms set within vibrant, often surreal landscapes. His work is characterized by intricate patterning, bright, saturated color, and a playful yet deeply personal iconography. Dogs appear frequently as recurring motifs—sometimes as companions, sometimes as alter egos—reflecting themes of loyalty, identity, and the subconscious. While his imagery can appear whimsical at first glance, De Forest’s compositions often contain layered narratives and references to mythology, dreams, and human psychology. De Forest was also an influential educator, teaching at the University of California, Davis, where he was part of a generation of artists who helped define the experimental and irreverent spirit of West Coast art in the postwar period. His work stands in contrast to the dominant New York abstraction of the time, embracing instead a more narrative, idiosyncratic, and expressive approach. Today, Roy De Forest’s paintings and prints are held in major museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. His legacy remains central to the development of Funk Art and the broader history of American figurative painting. Roy De Forest, Bay Area Funk Art, American painter, California art, UC Davis artist, postwar American art, figurative expressionism, West Coast art movement, contemporary American painting, narrative art, surreal figuration, modern American artist, funk movement art, symbolic imagery, colorful painting dog motif artwork, whimsical figurative painting, fantasy landscape, bright color composition, surreal narrative scene, patterned surface painting, hybrid creatures imagery, symbolic animals, playful abstraction, detailed line work, imaginative composition, expressive figuration, dreamlike environment, mythological references, decorative painting

Artist: Roy De Forest

Roy De ForestTaylor Family, 1995

$25,000

Taylor Family

By Roy De Forest

Located in Hollywood, FL

Artist: Roy De Forest Title: Taylor Family Size: 29.5 x 41 Inches Medium: Acrylic, pastel, charcoal, ink, pencil and glitter on paper, in artist's frame Edition: Original Year: 1995 Notes: Hand Signed and Dated (Twice, Upper Center Sheet and Lower Right Mount) Sold in the Original Artist Made Frame, As Is. Roy De Forest arrived in San Francisco in 1950 to enroll at the California School of Fine Arts (CSFA). He later went on to teach at the University of California, Davis, where he dedicated nearly three decades of his career. This move to the Bay Area, far removed from the art epicenter of New York, played a significant role in shaping an artistic movement known as "funk," a term coined by Peter Selz of the University of California's Berkeley Art Museum in 1967. This aesthetic celebrated the unconventional, "lowbrow," and seemingly unsophisticated aspects of art. Notably, artists like Jim Nutt...

Category

1990s Folk Art Roy De Forest Paintings

Materials

Charcoal, Pastel, Glitter, Ink, Acrylic, Archival Paper

Anushka KempkenMixed Media on Woven Fabriano Painting "Feminin Reign", 2020

$917

H 18.9 in W 16.93 in D 1.58 in

Mixed Media on Woven Fabriano Painting "Feminin Reign"

By Anushka Kempken

Located in Cape Town, ZA

This unique artwork is created through interweaving and twisting strips of painted fabriano paper in order to create a complex composition with depth and texture. The artwork is fram...

Category

2010s Contemporary Roy De Forest Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Anushka KempkenLarge Woven Mixed Media Painting "Autumn is a Time for Looking Within", 2019

$7,060

H 59.06 in W 78.75 in D 1.58 in

Large Woven Mixed Media Painting "Autumn is a Time for Looking Within"

By Anushka Kempken

Located in Cape Town, ZA

This unique artwork is created through interweaving strips of painted fabriano paper in order to create a complex composition with depth and texture. The artwork is framed and floate...

Category

2010s Contemporary Roy De Forest Paintings

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Pastel, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Archival Paper

Maria Teresa ViecoLatin American Folk Art Family Portrait Colombian Naive Painting, Color Drawing, 1975

$1,200

H 33.5 in W 23.5 in

Latin American Folk Art Family Portrait Colombian Naive Painting, Color Drawing

Located in Surfside, FL

Folk art, Naive, Latin American art , Family portrait in the style of a Chinese ancestor portrait. Maria Teresa Vieco is a Colombian artist born in 1953 in Bogota. She studied at th...

Category

1970s Folk Art Roy De Forest Paintings

Materials

Paper, Pastel, Acrylic, Pencil

Seth Clark"The Meeting 30" Stylized House Painting with Chalk Detail by Seth Clark, 2025

$600

H 13 in W 10 in

"The Meeting 30" Stylized House Painting with Chalk Detail by Seth Clark

By Seth Clark

Located in Philadelphia, PA

This piece, titled "The Meeting 30" is an original artwork by Seth Clark as part of his newest solo exhibition, "Passing Through". made of ink transfer, charcoal, pastel, acrylic, a...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Roy De Forest Paintings

Pastel, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper

Roy De Forest paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Roy De Forest paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Roy De Forest in acrylic paint, archival paper, charcoal and more. Not every interior allows for large Roy De Forest paintings, so small editions measuring 41 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Purvis Young, Howard Finster, and Johnny Banks. Roy De Forest paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $25,000 and tops out at $25,000, while the average work can sell for $25,000.