Gwyn Metz papers regarding Betty Parsons
name: label: Creator
content: Metz, Gwyn
label: Names
content: Parsons, Betty, 1900-1982
topic: label: Occupation
content: Photographers -- New Mexico
label: Occupation
content: Interior designers -- New Mexico
label: Topic
content: Abstract expressionism -- United States
label: Topic
content: Women art dealers
label: Topic
content: Women artists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated in 2023 by Gwyn Metz, who was entrusted with the material from Parson's executors.
creator: label: Creator
content: Metz, Gwyn
setName: label: See more items in
content: Gwyn Metz papers regarding Betty Parsons
abstract: label: Summary
content: The Gwyn Metz papers regarding Betty Parsons measure 2.8 linear feet and date from 1870-2019, with the bulk of the material from circa 1910-1981. The collection consists of biographical material about Betty Parsons and her family, extensive personal and travel photographs, as well as printed material including news and journal articles, exhibitions, and Subud documents.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Gwyn Metz was a former employee, protégé, and friend of Betty Parsons. 

Betty Parsons was an influential gallery owner, art dealer, and artist based in New York. She opened her eponymous gallery in 1946 and operated it until her death in 1982. Parsons championed new American Art, and her gallery helped start the careers of many artists including Barnett Newman, Jackson Pollock, and Ellsworth Kelly. Metz worked as a personal assistant and secretary for Betty Parsons from 1973 until 1976. While there, Metz met and photographed many of Parsons friends and gallery artists, many at exhibition openings and increasingly through their travels together. Metz is a photographer and interior designer in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 2.8 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1870-2019
label: Date
content: bulk 1910-1981
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.metzgwyn
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Scrapbooks
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 3 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1870-2019 (0.4 Linear feet: Boxes 1 and 4)

Series 2: Photographic Material, circa 1900-1989 (2 Linear feet: Boxes 1-4)

Series 3: Printed Material, circa 1960-2019 (0.4 Linear feet: Boxes 2 and 5)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: This collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Sam Neat in 2025.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Scrapbooks
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Gwyn Metz papers regarding Betty Parsons measure 2.8 linear feet and date from 1870-2019, with the bulk of the material from circa 1910-1981.

Biographical material contains printed family history and genealogical records, family photographs, awards, scattered letters to Parsons, and documents about the sale of Betty's Southold, Long Island home after her death. Also included are reproductions of portraits of Betty. Photographic material consists of solo portraits of Betty, images of friends and family, various personal and travel photographs, photographs of Betty's homes, including her Southold home under construction, Parsons' and Lawrence Bigelow's artwork, empty photo-processing company sleeves, and annotated photograph keys that corresponds to photo albums and photographs of others. The printed material series includes journal and newspaper clippings about Betty Parsons, her gallery and her artwork, as well as exhibition announcements, brochures, and catalogs and material relating to Parsons' spiritual belief, Subud.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also found in the Archives of American Art is the Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991, bulk 1946-1983.