Forrest Bess: Key to the Riddle
Language: English
Published by powerHouse Books, 2013
- Hardcover
- Used
Seller: Boswell's Books, Shelburne Falls, MA, U.S.A.Boswell's Books
AbeBooks seller since February 5, 2026
Condition: Used - Near fine
£ 58.23
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Condition Notes: Excellent, unmarked copy with little wear and tight binding. We ship in recyclable American-made mailers. 100% money-back guarantee on all orders.
Seller Inventory # 1772109
- Title
- Forrest Bess: Key to the Riddle
- Author
- Thurman, Robert; Smith, Chuck
- Publisher
- powerHouse Books
- Publication year
- 2013
- Condition
- Near Fine
- Binding
- hardcover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1576876225
- ISBN 13
- 9781576876220
- Item weight
- 2.599 pounds
Bess's treasured canvases were only part of a grander theory&;based on alchemy, Jungian philosophy, and aboriginal rituals&;that proposed that hermaphrodism was the key to immortality. As an artist, Bess could never equivocate, and in 1960 he underwent an operation to become a pseudo-hermaphrodite. For the first time ever in print, Forrest Bess: Key to the Riddle combines the beauty of Bess's art with the drama and tragedy of his personal life. Using Bess's own hauntingly sincere words (in letters to Betty Parsons, Meyer Schapiro, and others) the book traces the life and logic of this forgotten artist and explains how a love of beauty and a desire for wholeness lead Bess to self-surgery and, ultimately, a mental hospital. Forrest Bess: Key to the Riddle is a fascinating look at one of America's most notorious cult visionaries&;a man who truly believed that art could save his life.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Robert Thurman is Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University, President of Tibet House U.S., and President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies. He has BA, AM, and PhD degrees from Harvard and has studied in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in India and the United States. The New York Times recently hailed him as "the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism."
Chuck Smith is a New York based producer, writer, and filmmaker who has directed numerous documentaries and series for the National Geographic Channel, Discovery, and TLC. Prior to his work for cable TV, Smith was a producer for CBS News and Michael Moore's TV Nation. In 1997, Smith and photographer Ari Marcopoulos, author of Transitions and Exits (powerHouse Books, 2000), produced and directed the award-winning documentary Forrest Bess: Key to the Riddle, which features actor Willem Dafoe as the voice of Forrest Bess. Smith's short films and video interviews with artists such as Agnes Martin can be found on YouTube at chucksmithNYC. Robert Thurman is Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University, President of Tibet House U.S., and President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies. He has BA, AM, and PhD degrees from Harvard and has studied in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in India and the United States. The New York Times recently hailed him as "the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism."
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Boswell's Books
Shelburne Falls, MA, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since February 5, 2026
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 5 to 14 business days | 3 to 6 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 0.00 | £ 4.92 |
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A Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, institution since 1991. We are committed to providing our community with an up-to-date and frequently refreshed selection of the best new and used books we can find. We are members of the New England Independent Booksellers Association (NEIBA), and we strive to meet the diverse needs of our community in Western Massachusetts. This includes stocking NEIBA's recommendations, NYT bestsellers, academic and university presses, and small, independent presses. Our staff also regularly makes purchasing recommendations, and we all work to stock the best used books we can find. You'll find our stock updated almost daily!…
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