Chronology

Edward Betts paintings evolved from his early semi-realistic oils to abstract acrylics, in addition to realistic watercolors and geometric colleges. Here are images of his paintings grouped in chronological order. These images are paintings in private collections, black-and-white images from reviews and articles about Betts, and from his four books about painting techniques.

Most of this work has origins from his summers spent in Maine. Betts made two extended visits to Monhegan Island, Maine in 1948 and 1950 that greatly influenced his art. He wrote:

“My memory and experience of that island, with its harbor, pines, cliffs, and crashing surf, kept cropping up in all of my paintings with insistent regularity, almost obsessionally, for more than 20 years afterward. But the interesting thing to me was that my representational paintings of that rugged island were academic and ordinary, pleasant but predictable, whereas the improvisational, semiabstract paintings were, I felt, more expressive of the rocks and cliffs and forest of Monhegan, more true to the spirit of the place.

This confirmed my suspicions that the pictures which came out of my subconscious paint manipulations—guided and controlled by memory and emotional response and knowledge of nature—were the best I had yet done. They were not great by any means, but they indicated to me a path to follow, a working method that might lead to better things. It was, in short, a hugely gratifying coming together of an artist, a subject, and a way of painting.”
[Master Class in Watercolor (1975) hardcover by Edward Betts]

1940s - Early work

Edward Betts early work was heavily influenced by his formal training at the Art Students League. He worked in a variety of media, starting with oils, but moving to water-based media of casein and water-based lacquers. His paintings were representational only in the sense that the subject is identifiable, but they gradually increased in their abstraction.

1950s - Abstracted Lacquer and Casein

Edward Betts gained recognition quickly beginning in 1950, when he was 30 years old, with lacquer and casein paintings that were mostly executed with lacquer and casein manipulated with a palette knife or short-bristle brushes. Colors were usually subdued, though composed of many different pigments. Many critics commented on the geometric abstractions.

1960s - Acrylic Media Paintings

After joining Midtown Galleries in 1960 the paintings by Betts grew larger, more abstract, bolder, and more colorful. He transitioned from lacquer and casein media to the new acrylic media known as polymer at the time. His process was improvisational, as he reacted to the evolving images over the course of several months. Rarely did his finished paintings resemble the beginning of the process.

1970 - Paintings Become More Colorful

In 1972 Betts took a sabbatical from teaching and worked in Carmel-Monterey, California. The transition to acrylic media was complete and his work became much more colorful, with flowing imagery that resulted from the fluid characteristics of the acrylic paints that he manipulated by dripping, pouring, and mixing rather than using palette knives as before.

1980s and later

The period of 1980 to 2005 were very prolific with Betts producing large paintings up to 6' across (2 meters) with gestural flowing images. It also saw him produce many more collages consisting of torn paper in simplified, though bold compositions. After 2005 his output decreased to mainly small collages.

Painting Prices

Prices of Edward Betts paintings peaked during the late 1990s when his large, colorful acrylic paintings were popular with collectors and corporations like Tupperware, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, Prudential Life Insurance, etc. The prime example below is In The Summertime triptych (below) consists of three acrylic-painted panels sold in 2004 for $21,000.00

In The Summertime (1987) acrylic triptych

In The Summertime - 1987 - This triptych consists of three acrylic-painted Masonite panels, 91x91 cm each. It sold in 2004 at his gallery in Florida for $21,000.

Recent Auction Prices

In general, auction prices are lower than prices that are asked in galleries. It is not uncommon for the bidders in auctions to be gallery owners looking for inventory to resell at higher prices. However, when two collectors want the same painting in an auction the prices are bid up to higher than wholesale price.

Few painting by Edward Betts come to auction, as a result there is not an active market or demand from collectors. Many Betts paintings have not kept pace with inflation. A painting that sold for $800 in 1959, when the price of the average automobile was $2200, should sell for for $18,000 today to keep pace with inflation, now that the average automobile sells for $50,000. The triptych In the Summertime (above) should sell for $87,500 today. This makes paintings by Edward Betts an opportunity to acquire paintings from a well-known American artist at reasonable prices.

Sea Flow (1963) acrylic mixed-media painting

Sea Flow, mixed-media on panel

The Betts abstract acrylic mixed-media painting Sea Flow (1963), 151x91 cm, sold at auction in 2024 at for $7600.*

Offshore Reef (1971), acrylic painting on paper

Offshore Reef, acrylic on panel

The abstract acrylic painting on paper Offshore Reef (1971), 122x91 cm, sold at auction in 2023 at for $7040.*

Sea Spray, acrylic on paper

This smaller work on paper Sea Spray (1975), 72x72 cm, sold at auction in 2023 at for $4840.*

Passing Storm, watercolor

Realistic watercolors by Betts sell for much less than his abstract acrylic paintings. In general they are less well known, smaller, and of interest usually only to collectors of Maine watercolors. Passing Storm, St. Michaels Mount (1985) watercolor, 56x38cm, sold in 2025 for $1485.*

*All auction prices listed include Buyer's Premium and Sales Tax.

Go to Page 3: Process

Source materials and references for the content on this site can be found on these pages: Publications and References.

For further information about Edward Betts, or to sell a painting by Edward Betts, contact his son, John Betts at jhbnyc@aol.com.