Bert Grimm began hanging around tattoo shops when he was 12 years old, and by the age of 15, he had his first tattoo gun. While mainly hanging around carnivals and sideshows where tattoos were more common, Bert began developing his unique one-of-a-kind style of bold lines and vibrant colors that were common in tattoo art. At the time, tattoos and body art mainly were for soldiers, sailors, circuses, and sideshows and were far from part of the mainstream culture like today. Learning from the original masters of tattoo shops in Portland, OR like Sailor Gus, Sailor George, and Charlie Western, Bert began a 70-year career that would solidify him as the godfather of modern tattoos as we know them today.
Bert spent some of his early years with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show, where he honed his tattoo skills and eventually ran tattoo shops in Chicago, Honolulu, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Seattle, Los Angeles, Long Beach, St. Louis, Portland and Seaside Oregon, and China. 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.
People traveled hundreds of miles for Bert’s tattoos because, unlike other tattoo artists of the day, Bert’s inked art had depth, defined 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 inked them and continued to tattoo until just 2 weeks before his death. Bert passed away in 1985 at the age of 85, but his tattoo and overall artistic legacy still live on today in our tattoo shop in Kansas City and at the Bert Grimm Tattoo Museum.
At Grimm Tattoo® and the Bert Grimm Tattoo Museum in Kansas City, we are proud to continue Bert’s tradition of providing one-of-a-kind tattoos that are above and beyond what other tattoo shops deliver. Our artists understand the importance of Bert Grimm’s history and legacy and are exceptionally skilled in delivering the type of tattoo artistry that made the Grimm name synonymous with the world of tattoos and body art.
Visit the Official Bert Grimm webstore to purchase official merchandise straight from the Grimm family! Offering t-shirts, posters, and accessories for tattooers.