Bessa was a pupil of Redouté. He exhibited watercolours of flowers at the Paris Salon from 1806-14. The noted critic Landon singled him out for praise: 'so far as flower and fruit pieces are concerned there seems to be a strong competition between Redouté and Bessa, being both equally talented, hard-working and successful'. In 1816 Bessa was appointed flower painter to the Duchesse de Berry, and in 1820 he became her drawing master. His works were in great demand with royalty and wealthy foreign visitors, King Charles X acquired Bessa's original drawings for Mordant de Launay's Herbier de l'Amateur. In 1823 Bessa succeeded van Spaendonck as the painter on vellum to the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle. He retired to Ecouen between 1831 and 1835