Betty Moody Reflects on 50 Years of Moody Gallery and Houston's Art Scene
In 1975, Betty Moody, now 81, established her gallery in Houston, where she showcased Texas artists such as Luis Jiménez and Gael Stack. Originally from Memphis and raised in Nashville, she pursued art studies at the University of Kentucky before relocating to Houston in 1967. Moody worked at DuBose Gallery until 1973 and focused her first gallery on local talent. She married sculptor Bill Steffy, who designed the gallery's building in 1985. Following Steffy's passing in 2015, she continued to exhibit, including at the Chicago International Art Exposition. This year, she will participate in Untitled Art, Houston, featuring artists like Pat Colville, Mary McCleary, and Jim Love, with support from her team: Lee Steffy, Adrian Page, and Serena Shannon.
Key facts
- Betty Moody, 81, opened Moody Gallery in Houston in 1975.
- She was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up in Nashville, and attended the University of Kentucky as an art major.
- She moved to Houston in 1967 and worked at DuBose Gallery from 1967 to 1973.
- Her husband Bill Steffy, a sculptor and jeweler, designed the gallery's Colquitt Street building in 1985; he died in 2015 after being diagnosed with COPD in 2010.
- She exhibited at the Chicago International Art Exposition for nine years, starting in the early 1980s.
- Moody Gallery will show at Untitled Art, Houston, with works by Pat Colville, Mary McCleary, and Jim Love.
- Her staff includes assistant directors Lee Steffy and Adrian Page, gallery assistant Serena Shannon, and writer Elliot Penn.
- She cites New York gallerist Betty Parsons as a touchstone and advises that galleries must be able to afford losing money at art fairs.
Entities
Artists
- Betty Moody
- Luis Jiménez
- Gael Stack
- Arthur Turner
- Jim Love
- Lucas Johnson
- Bill Steffy
- Betty Parsons
- Michael Bise
- Pat Colville
- Mary McCleary
- Al Souza
- James Drake
- MANUAL (Hill & Bloom)
- Tracye Wear
- Jay Shinn
- Liz Ward
- Michael Kennaugh
- Chris Becker
- Elliot Penn
- Paula Anglim
- Peter Gould
- Phyllis Kind
- Nancy Hoffman
- Holly Solomon
- Ben DuBose
- Ernest Hemingway
- Sylvia Beach
Institutions
- Moody Gallery
- Glasstire
- University of Kentucky
- Meredith Long Gallery
- Glassell School
- DuBose Gallery
- Chicago International Art Exposition
- Untitled Art, Houston
- Dallas Art Fair
- CASETA
- Affair at the Jupiter Hotel
- L.A. Louver
- University of Houston
- Shakespeare and Company
Locations
- Houston
- Texas
- Memphis
- Tennessee
- Nashville
- Chicago
- Portland
- Oregon
- Washington, DC
- New York
- Los Angeles
- United States