Rescuing my twin, the famous artist we might never have known

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Born in 1943, twins Joyce and Judith Scott shared a childhood of togetherness in rural Ohio. But at the age of seven, Judith was taken from their shared bed. Joyce woke up to a new world – where her beloved twin lived in an institution. This was because Judith had Down’s Syndrome and in 1950s America it was common for doctors to recommend sending children with disabilities away. For the next three decades, Joyce’s life was punctured by grief and secrets. She moved away to California, and helped mothers who had babies with disabilities, while missing and dreaming about her twin. In her forties, Joyce resolved to rescue her sister from a life inside an institution, unaware that their joyous reunion would spark the emergence of Judith as a world-renowned artist. Joyce Scott has written two books about her sister, Entwined: Sisters and Secrets in the Silent World of Artist Judith Scott, and Unbound: The Life and Art of Judith Scott. Judith's art can be seen in the permanent collection at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Paris’s Pompidou Centre. This programme was first broadcast in July 2024. Presenter: Helena Merriman Producer: Sarah Kendal Get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707 (Photo: Sepia photo of twins Joyce and Judith Scott sitting at a table together as very young children in 1940s Ohio. Credit: Joyce Scott)