REVIEW: Betty Parsons / Sheer Energy

By Alison Norwood, volunteer arts reviewer
A train or bus ride along the coast from Eastbourne is the striking De la Warr Pavilion, a self-styled venue for both artistic exploration and everyday community events.
A new exhibition of gallerist Betty Parsons’ work, entitled Sheer Energy, has opened at this art deco jewel on the coast in Bexhill-on-Sea.
The works are gorgeous, abstract yet understandable if you follow Parsons’ own exhortation to ‘feel alive now’ and fall into the mood of the paintings and sculptures.
Across different media and two floors, the theme is of spontaneous and free movement, particularly in observations of the sea.
For Parsons (1900 - 1982), these were from her studio in Long Island in the US; for visitors to the De La Warr, they are the direct views of the English Channel from the gallery windows, of waves and windsurfers.

Parsons’ day job was running the Betty Parsons Gallery in New York. In the late 1940s she pioneered the Abstract Expressionist movement (think Jackson Pollock’s splashy drips and Barnett Newman’s soulful stripes).
Added to that, her weekends in the studio were prolific and resulted in several exhibitions of her own work worldwide. To be able to do both these things, in an era of male dominance, was remarkable.
So too Parsons encouraged diversity in the artists she exhibited, long before this was considered good form.
I confess that I hadn’t heard of Parsons before this show but then maybe that’s the point – that a comparatively small venue can open up our artistic knowledge in this way, and encompass those who commission as well as those who create.
The more I walked around the exhibition, the more it struck me that the works are so clever, with vibrant primary colour work tempered by less dramatic surrounding tones to create the immersive seaside effect.
They’re bright without being overly dramatic, and the large photograph of the sculptures nestled into pebbles on the beach sets the context of the tones perfectly.

In the main section of works from the 1960s, ‘Nova Scotia’ is restful, deep blue with little life rafts of colour. Next to it is ‘Moonshot’, by contrast an intense sweep of upward motion, capturing the excitement of the space race.
Parsons said she wanted to ‘paint an atmosphere.’ I’ve never been to Long Island but after this exhibition I feel as if I have. It is highly recommended.

Curator Joseph Constable, head of exhibitions at the De La Warr, said Betty Parsons' bold and experimental work could be experienced “in direct conversation” with the gallery’s coastal location.
He said: “As the first survey presentation of Parsons' work in Europe, we are excited to show works of international significance as part of the coastal cultural trail's offer for the autumn-winter season.”
The Coastal Culture Trail links three galleries in East Sussex, across 18 miles of coastline. Visit Towner Eastbourne, De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill and Hastings Contemporary to experience all three towns.
:: Betty Parsons: Sheer Energy is showing at De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea, until 18 January 2026. Admission is free.
:: Alison Norwood is a professional academic publisher, having previously worked in print and design. She loves all aspects of art and publishing, and writes novels in her spare time. Alison enjoys studying art history and is a volunteer arts reviewer for Eastbourne Reporter.