Betty Parsons: An Interview

Betty Parsons was an influential art dealer in mid to late 20th century New York. She used her gallery as a constant and influential advocate for the abstract avant-garde, renowned for championing new styles and artists well before they received wider recognition or commercial success. Notable examples include abstract expressionist giants Barnett Newman, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Clyfford Still. And beyond these Parsons continued to pursue new and fresh artistic voices such as Ellsworth Kelly, Agnes Martin, and Richard Tuttle, among many others. Parsons was also an active artist throughout her career. Her work has been the subject of several recent retrospectives. Among the most recognizable pieces are Parsons’s painted assemblages, cobbled together from driftwood and carpentry leftovers.

A historical interview originally recorded in 1975 and re-edited in 2006.