"My reputation was built on hostility. I had no friends and some very virulent enemies in the old-guard art scene when I began. They threw their heavy artillery against me. They were convinced I was perverting the public taste." - Betty Parsons
Betty Parsons was a renowned figure in the art world, known both as a distinguished art dealer and as a talented artist in her own right. Born into a wealthy family in 1900, Parsons showed early independence and a passion for Modernism, which she encountered at the Armory Show of 1913. Despite societal expectations, she pursued her artistic ambitions, studying in Paris and exhibiting her work there in 1933. Financial difficulties during the Great Depression led her back to the United States, where she became associated with Midtown Galleries in New York City. In 1946, she opened her own gallery, where she showcased groundbreaking exhibitions for artists like Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman, helping to establish Abstract Expressionism as a dominant artistic movement. Despite her success as a dealer, Parsons faced challenges in gaining recognition for her own artistic work.
She passed away in 1982, leaving behind a legacy celebrated in numerous public collections, including the Parrish Art Museum, The High Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.