No. 1, White and Red, 1962

In 2001 Parkin saw the Rothko retrospective at the Beyeler Foundation in Switzerland. But her connection to the artist was established more than thirty years earlier when she helped the AGO purchase this work for its collection.

“I’ve always had an affinity for Rothko’s work, which is one of the reasons I felt strongly that the Women’s Committee at the AGO had to purchase this painting for the gallery in the 1960s.

“In 2001 I saw an unforgettable Rothko exhibition at the Beyeler Foundation. I was at the Venice Biennale with Helen Griffiths. We took the train from there to Basel to see the Beyler’s major Rothko retrospective. It was one of the great ones—everything was unbelievable. The colour was simply transcendental in each of the paintings. There were beautiful yellows, pinks, and apricot shades. I was transported by Rothko’s use of colour and light into another world. The paintings no longer were objects: they became vehicles into another space.”