Bert Grimm: The Greatest Tattoo Artist in the World

Bert Grimm was born in Springfield Missouri, on February 8, 1900. He was raised on outskirts of Portland Oregon and he started hanging around tattoo shops when he was about 11 or 12 years old, and the shops of Sailor Gus, Sailor George and Charlie Western became his home away from home. He worked as a carnival shill, running away from home in the 4th grade. Bert was given his first tattoo gear from Domingo Gulang in 1912 when he was 12 years old and by the age of 15 he had started his path to becoming a tattoo legend. While mainly hanging around carnivals and sideshows where tattoos were more common, Bert began developing his own unique style of bold lines and vibrant colors that was common in tattoo art. He opened his first shop in Chicago in 1916 and then he made a living as a sideshow tattoo artist traveling the carnival circuit in the summer months, and in the off-season setting up in the numerous amusement arcades along Chicago’s South State Street.

At the time tattoo and body art were mostly for soldiers, sailors, circuses and sideshows and were far from part of the mainstream culture like today.

Throughout his long career as one of the world’s most innovative and artful tattoo artists, Bert Grimm was said to have tattooed such American cultural icons as Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd and many other well known names of times. Bert settled in St. Louis in the late 1920’s and maintained a tattoo shop for almost 30 years, working with some of the greatest in the business. He is probably best remembered for the shop that he operated at the Nu-Pike in Long Beach, CA from the 1950s to the late 60s. The Nu-Pike was a large amusement park that goes back to 1897 and was home for dozens of tattooists. It was in that area that Bert, already a famed tattooist from St. Louis, bought his Long Beach shop. He soon filled the windows with picturesque photos of the many people he had tattooed, and the walls were crowded with boldly executed design sheets. By 1956 he had opened five shops in the amusement park. He was a self promoter of the highest caliber, who used his popular little shop as a theater where he presented the tales and ballads of his colorful past. Berts large work was expertly done and highly sought by collectors and Tattooers of the day. Bob Shaw not only was heavily tattooed by him, but they went on to work together off and on until the end of Berts career. Bert Grimm also, famously, helped shape the career as well as tattooing Lyle Tuttles back and front pieces, which were iconic.

Bert was a celebrity as well as a storyteller. If there was an audience around as he tattooed, he would work deftly for about 10 minutes then, Bert would pause and stick a toothpick in his mouth then pull on his suspenders, and announce: “And now for my famous ten minute speech…”, he would then tell of how he had started tattooing professionally in Chicago, early in 1916. During his career, he told his mesmerized customers, he had tattooed Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, and many others of the underworld nobility who passed through St. Louis. All through his little monologue he kept repeating: “I am the greatest. I am the greatest. I am the greatest tattoo artist in the world”.

Bert continued to present himself and weave his spell until people were coming hundreds of miles to Long Beach to get their work from the greatest. In 1970 Bert sold his shop in Long Beach to Bob Shaw, retired and moved up north, but he set up a small tattoo shop in his home. Bert Grimm’s World Famous Tattoo was historic. It was the oldest continuously operated tattoo parlor in the continental United States. Bert was inducted into the Tattoo Hall of Fame, then located at the Lyle Tuttle’s Tattoo Art Museum at 30 Seventh Street in San Francisco.  Many people believe he was the greatest tattoo artist in the world.

People traveled hundreds of miles for Bert’s tattoos because unlike other tattoo artists of the day, Bert’s tattoos had depth, bold lines and contour shading which at the time was not commonplace. Bert Grimm prided himself on being a “self made man” and was never bashful about telling his customers as he worked and continued to tattoo until just 2 weeks before his death. Bert Grimm died May 16, 1985, in Gearhart, Oregon. at the age of 85. Bert Grimms legacy still thrives today. Tattooists worldwide acknowledge that prolific production, knowledge and experience of Berts contributions. Carmen Nyssan Forquar maintains a museum and is a Tattoo historian and author in Portland Oregon. Wes Grimm continues a 3rd generation tradition in Kansas City. The old Grimm Tattoo shop at 3825 Main St was relocated at 3915 Broadway.