Betty Parsons, the Painter
Zoe Pilger, frieze
October 2019
In 1977, the American art dealer and artist Betty Parsons appeared on the TV show About the Arts. She was 77 years old, stylish in an oversized blue shirt and red trousers, her grey hair chicly bobbed, her manner convivial. She was asked, ‘Has Betty Parsons, dealer, ever shown Betty Parsons, artist?’
‘No, never,’ said Parsons. ‘I never hoped to.’
‘Why?’
‘Well, because it’s too much,’ she went on. ‘You know, it’s embarrassing. It would be embarrassing to me.’ […]