Born in New York on September 28th, 1927, Bettina Grossman lived in Paris for ten years in the 50s, participating in the cultural scene of the time with its artists, gallerists and musicians. In 1965, she returned to her native city, the world’s capital of avant-garde art. An eccentric personality, totally dedicated to her art, Bettina lived in the Chelsea Hotel—room 503—from 1972 onwards, after her studio burned down an she lost all her archives. Living like a recluse in this community of artists, which has seen Jack Kerouac and Sid Vicious, the owners of the famous hotel on 23rd Street tried, in 2006, to remove her because of the condition of her apartment. But a judge rejected the request. In this cultural melting pot, Bettina produced and accumulated in her tiny studio a considerable and major work that was fully part of the great history of the artistic avant-gardes of the 20th century. Bettina died in New York on November 2nd, 2021, at the age of 94.