Milton Clark Avery was born in 1885 in Altmar, New York. Largely self-taught, Avery is today regarded as one of the great early modern American artists; his inspired palette, simplified forms and unwavering commitment to a figurative tradition have secured him a place not only in the canon but also in the hearts of the American public.
Always at odds with the dominant style of the time, be it the American Scene Painting and Social Realism of the 1930s and '40s or the Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s, Avery's oeuvre is a labor of singular dedication. As a boy, Avery worked factory jobs to help support his large family following their move to Connecticut in 1898. He did not seriously begin to pursue art until sometime following his father's death in 1905, when he intermittently attended classes at the Connecticut League of Art Students. He made his artistic debut in 1915 at the Wadsworth Atheneum's Fifth Annual Exhibition of Oil Painting and Sculpture.
In 1925 Avery relocated to New York to be closer to his future bride. Following his marriage in 1926 he was able to quit working and paint full time. At this time Avery replaced the light-drenched palette of his Hartford days with more muted tones. He also exchanged his heavy impasto for thin washes of pigment, which he used to create veiled fields of color.
In 1927 Avery exhibited with the Society of Independent Artists. Success quickly followed. Two of his paintings were selected for inclusion in a 1928 group show at the Opportunity Gallery in New York. Also in 1928, renowned collector Louis Kaufman became the first person to purchase a painting by the artist; and in 1929 Duncan Phillips purchased Winter Riders (1929) for the Phillips Memorial Gallery, making it Avery's first painting to enter a museum collection.
Avery's signature figurative style characterized by simple forms and flattened shapes filled with arbitrary color "in the manner of Matisse" was fully developed by the 1940s. His work as a colorist greatly influenced succeeding generations of artists, specifically Color Field painters Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, and Adolph Gottlieb. In 1944 he was given his first solo museum exhibition at the Phillips Memorial Gallery. That same year, he entered into a contract with famed dealer Paul Rosenberg, in which Rosenberg agreed to purchase 25 of Avery's paintings twice a year.
In 1952 the Baltimore Museum of Art hosted Avery's first museum retrospective, and Avery was the subject of a major article in Arts magazine by eminent art critic Clement Greenberg. In 1960 the Whitney Museum of American Art hosted his second museum retrospective.
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(Biography provided by Helicline Fine Art)
YOUNG GIRL NUDE
By Milton Avery
Located in Portland, ME
Avery, Milton. YOUNG GIRL NUDE. Lunn 7. Drypoint, 1935. Edition of 100. Signed, dated, and numbered 12/100 in pencil. 10 x 4 1/4 inches (plate), framed to 19 x 14 inches.Provenance H...
Drypoint
"Fish" Milton Avery, Mid-Century, Modernist Fish, Blue, Gray, Maine Artist
By Milton Avery
Located in New York, NY
Milton Avery Fish, 1952 Signed and dated twice lower left Crayon on paper 3 1/2 x 10 inches Milton Clark Avery was born in 1885 in Altmar, New York. Largely self-taught, Avery is t...
Paper, Crayon
"Untitled (Seated Figure)" Milton Avery, Modernist, Interior Scene, Abstracted
By Milton Avery
Located in New York, NY
Milton Avery Untitled (Seated Figure), circa early 1930s Signed and inscribed on the reverse Oil on homemade canvas board 11 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches Provenance The artist Max Granick, Ne...
Canvas, Oil, Board
The Print Dress (Woman with Mandolin) - Oil on Canvas Portrait Painting, c. 1935
By Milton Avery
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Milton Avery's 'The Print Dress (Woman with Mandolin)' (c. 1935) belongs to a pivotal year: in 1935 Avery had his first solo exhibition, at New York's Valentine Gallery, alongside Ma...
Canvas, Oil
'Little Girl' — American Modernist Signed Drypoint, 1936
By Milton Avery
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Milton Avery, 'Little Girl', drypoint, 1936, edition 60, Lunn 11. Signed, dated, and numbered '22/60' in pencil. A superb impression, in warm black ink with delicate overall plate tone, on off-white wove paper, with wide margins (2 5/8 to 4 1/8 inches); hinge stains on the top sheet edge, verso, otherwise in excellent condition. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 8 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches (222 x 121 mm); sheet size 14 7/8 x 13 1/8 inches (378 x 333 mm). Collections: Cantor Arts Center, National Gallery of Art. ABOUT THE ARTIST "I never have any rules to follow; I follow myself." "I paint not by sight but by faith. Faith gives you sight." —Milton Avery 'His is the poetry of sheer loveliness.' —Mark Rothko in his 1965 eulogy to Avery. Milton Avery (1885-1965) is recognized as one of America's foremost modernist artists, renowned for his uniquely expressive style, evocative use of color, and captivating compositions. Growing up in a working-class family in Altmar, New York, Avery's early life was marked by the struggles and realities of rural New York. Despite lacking formal artistic training, he displayed an innate talent for drawing from an early age. In 1905, his family relocated to Hartford, Connecticut, where he worked various odd jobs while developing his artistic skills through self-study and experimentation. In 1915, he enrolled at the Connecticut League of Art Students, where he received formal instruction and began to refine his distinctive style. In 1918, Avery transferred to the School of the Art Society of Hartford and worked in the evenings so that he could paint during the day. He became a member of the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts in 1924. That summer in Gloucester, Massachusetts, he met the artist Sally Michael...
Drypoint
Fish (Blue) Woodcut Print, Framed, Rare A/P, Circa 1952, 2.38 x 9 in
By Milton Avery
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Milton Avery Fish (blue), 1952, (A/P) Catalogue raisonné : Lunn 41. Woodcut, printed in blue2.38 x 9 in (6.05 x 22.86 cm)Framed 12.50 x 18.75 in From the blue prints, approximately 1...
Woodcut
$257,600Sale Price|20% Off
White Hen
By Milton Avery
Located in London, GB
Milton Avery White Hen, 1957 Mixed Media on Board 28 x 50 cm 11 x 19 ½ inches Born in Altmar, New York, in 1885, Milton Avery moved with his family to Hartford, Connecticut in 1905....
Board, Mixed Media
$16,000
NIGHT NUDE
By Milton Avery
Located in Portland, ME
Avery, Milton. NIGHT NUDE. Woodcut, 1953. Edition of 25 in black and white (there were a further 25 printed in black and blue). Signed, dated and numbered "6/25" in pencil, and also ...
Woodcut
Milton Avery Original Etching Pencil Signed, 1936, Little Girl
By Milton Avery
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Original Etching by Modernist Milton Avery (1885-1965) Image measures: 8 5/8" H x 4 5/8" W. Titled lower left - “Little Girl” Edition size: 6 of 60. Printed in 1936. In excellent co...
Paper, Etching
Relaxed Conversation
By Milton Avery
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Milton Avery (1885-1965) whose lyrical command of colour and form positioned him as a pivotal figure in 20th-century art. Often described as the “American Fauve,” Avery produced pai...
Ink
original lithograph
By Milton Avery
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed in 1952 for the "Improvisations" portfolio, published by the Artists Equity Association of New York on the occasion of the 19...
Lithograph
Sally with Beret Drypoint Print, Signed, 20th Century, Edition 99/100
By Milton Avery
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Signed and dated in pencil LRC "Milton Avery 1939" Numbered in pencil LLC "99/100" The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City each have a print fro...
Drypoint
MARCH WITH BABUSHKA (HEAD OF MARCH).
By Milton Avery
Located in Portland, ME
Avery, Milton. MARCH WITH BABUSHKA (HEAD OF MARCH). Drypoint, 1948. Edition of 100, published by Collectors of American Art. Unsigned, as called for (prints from this edition were not signed). 7 x 6 5/8 inches (plate size, measured along the edges), 9 3/4 x 9 5/8 (image, measured on the diagonal, as oriented), 11 1/4 x 11 inches (sheet). In excellent condition. Three of the four corners of the plate have been trimmed to about one inch from the platemark. A spare and elegant portrait of the artist's daughter, the artist March Avery.
Drypoint
$39,000
Untitled
By Milton Avery
Located in PARIS, FR
Milton Avery, in full Milton Clark Avery, (born March 7, 1893, Altmar, New York, U.S.—died January 3, 1965, New York City), painter noted in his lat...
Pencil, Paper, Ink
"Country Haircut"
By Milton Avery
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Jim’s of Lambertville Fine Art Gallery is proud to offer this piece by Milton Avery (1885 – 1965). Milton Avery was a prominent Modernist painter whose work combined abstraction and...
Watercolor, Gouache, Paper
Standing Nude, Hand Signed Drypoint on Paper, 1941, Edition of 60
By Milton Avery
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand signed and numbered by the artist. Sheet size 19.75 x 13 inches. Image size 14 x 7 inches. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of Authenticity included. Edition of 6...
Drypoint, Paper
$16,000
H 31 in W 25 in
Henry Gasser American Scene Realism Regionalism Mid-20th Century Modern WPA
Located in New York, NY
Henry Gasser American Scene Realism Regionalism Mid-20th Century Modern WPA Henry Martin Gasser (1909-1981) "Village in Snow" Oil on canvas laid on artist's board, c. 1930s 28 x 22...
Canvas, Oil, Board
$489
H 16 in W 12 in
America impressionist portrait young boy 1937 Modern Figurative Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
A fantastic modern portrait of a young boy. This work is signed what appears to be Paul Sellers and dated 1937, but we have not found information on the artist. The work dated 1936...
Oil, Board
"Dragon, " Original Pastel Drawing
By Quang Ho
Located in Denver, CO
"Dragon," by Quang Ho, is a secondary market work with one previous owner. It is signed and dated (1988) on the lower left. The painting comes with it's original frame (measures 50 x...
Paper, Pastel
$85,000
H 28 in W 47 in
"Paper Making" WPA Industrial Mid-Century American Scene Social Realism Workers
Located in New York, NY
"Paper Making" WPA Industrial Mid-Century American Scene Social Realism Workers Douglas Crockwell (1904-1968) "Paper Making" 19 x 39 inches Oil on board, c. 1936 Signed verso Framed: 28 x 47 Provenance: Estate of the Artist BIO Spencer Douglass Crockwell was born into a comfortable middle class household on April 29, 1904 in Columbus, Ohio. His father, Charles Roland Crockwell, was a mining engineer; his mother, Cora, was the daughter of an Iowa attorney. He became a commercial artist and experimental filmmaker who spent a good part of his career creating illustrations and advertisements for the Saturday Evening Post. In 1907 the Crockwell family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he graduated from high school and then attended from Washington University. Initially he studied engineering, but soon switched to business. While still an undergraduate, Crockwell took courses at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts and quickly realized that he wanted to be an artist. After graduating from Washington University in 1926, Crockwell continued to study at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts until 1929. The following year he relocated to Chicago and continued his studies at the American Academy of Art. In 1930 and 1931 he studied in Europe on a Traveling Fellowship. In 1932 Douglass Crockwell moved to Glens Falls, New York, which was to be his home for the remainder of his life. The following year he married Margaret Braman. They had three children, a son Douglass and two daughters, Johanna and Margaret. During the depression he created murals and posters for the Works Progress Administration including Post Office murals in White River junction, Vermont; Endicott, New York; and Macon, Mississippi. In 1934 he painted Paper Workers, Finch Pruyn & Co. (the leading Glens Falls, New York company) for the WPA. In the 1930s Crockwell developed an interest in experimental animated films that occupied him for the rest of his life. In 1936 and 1937, he collaborated with David Smith, a sculptor, to create surrealist films. Because of his interest in experimental films, his output of paintings was limited to just twenty to forty illustrations a year during this time. Crockwell painted his first of many Saturday Evening Post cover in 1933. He also worked for Life, Look, and Esquire, and numerous national advertisers including Friskies dog food, Welch’s Grape Juice, Republic Steel...
Oil, Board
$850
H 11 in W 13 in D 1 in
A Charming 1950s Modern Painting of a Red House in Calais, Vermont
By Harold Haydon
Located in Chicago, IL
A charming 1950s Modern painting of a little red house, titled "Corner of the Brick House with Last Snow Bank, Calais, VT" by notable Chicago artist, Harold Haydon. Painted near the...
Canvas, Oil, Board
$1,200
H 12.5 in W 16.5 in D 1.25 in
A Charming 1950s Painting of Lisbon, Portugal by Famed Artist Francis Chapin
By Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A Charming, 1950s Painting of Lisbon, Portugal by Famed Chicago Modern Artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a bustling, colorful view of Lisbon's historic Black Horse Sq...
Oil, Canvas, Board
$171
H 11.03 in W 15.36 in
Japanese Print, Pair of horses playing (red) - Signed Woodcut
By Mokuchu URUSHIBARA
Located in Paris, IDF
Mokuchu URUSHIBARA Pair of horses playing (red), c. 1930 Woodcut after on an ink drawing Signed with the artist's stamp On paper 28 x 39 cm (c. 11.02 x 15.35 in) INFORMATION : Engr...
Woodcut
$3,600
H 43.5 in W 35.5 in D 1 in
A Large, Captivating 1930s Modern Portrait of a Jamaican Man in a Linen Suit
By Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A Large, Captivating 1930s Modern Portrait of a Jamaican Man in a Linen Suit by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A skilled and colorful portrait of a black man seated in a white linen suit, most likely completed during Chapin's trip to Kingston, Jamaica in the 1930s. Chapin exhibited examples of his Jamaican paintings...
Oil, Canvas
$55,000
H 67 in W 46 in
"Portrait of Kathleen Curry, the Artist's Wife" John Steuart Curry
By John Steuart Curry
Located in New York, NY
John Steuart Curry Portrait of Kathleen Curry, the Artist's Wife, 1938 Signed and titled "Kathleen" lower left Oil on canvas 55 x 34 inches Provenance The artist Kathleen Curry, the...
Canvas, Oil
$1,100
H 24.5 in W 20.5 in D 1.5 in
A Contemplative 1940s Modern Studio Portrait, Seated Young Female Ballet Dancer
By Walter Burt Adams
Located in Chicago, IL
A Contemplative 1940s Modern Studio Portrait of a Seated Female Ballet Dancer by Notable Chicago Modern Artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1990). The painting a is well executed, i...
Oil, Canvas
$1,400
H 24.75 in W 18.5 in D 2 in
A Striking, Post-War Modern Studio Portrait of a Seated Young Male Nude Model
By Walter Burt Adams
Located in Chicago, IL
A Striking, Colorful Post-War Studio Portrait of a Seated Young Male Nude Model by Notable Chicago Modern Artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1990). The painting a is well executed,...
Canvas, Oil
$1,200
H 18.5 in W 14.5 in D 2 in
A Striking Modern Studio Portrait of a Seated African American Male Nude Model
By Walter Burt Adams
Located in Chicago, IL
A Striking, Colorful Post- War Modern Studio Portrait of a Seated African American Male Model by Notable Chicago Modern Artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1990). The painting a is ...
Canvas, Oil
$10,000
H 12.25 in W 19.38 in
Highlands Sheep; A finished study from the Highlands Series
By Rosa Bonheur
Located in Middletown, NY
A finished primary study for Bonheur's major oil paintings of the late 1850s, capturing the quiet, unadorned dignity of animals in their native environment. Circa 1855. Graphite and...
Handmade Paper, Graphite, Crayon
$175,000
H 28.5 in W 32.5 in D 2 in
"Skating Party" WPA Regionalism American Scene Mid 20th Century Modern Realism
By Roger Medearis
Located in New York, NY
"Skating Party" WPA Regionalism American Scene Mid 20th Century Modern Realism Roger Medearis (1920 – 2001) "Skating Party" 20 x 24 inches Tempera on board, 1949 Signed Medearis and...
Oil, Board
New York Skyline
By Louis H. Ruyl
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching with drypoint on cream wove paper with deckle edges, 4 3/8 x 12 3/4 inches (233 x 323 mm); sheet 9 1/2 x 15 3/4 inches (240 x 338 mm), full margins. Signed and numbered 4/75 ...
Handmade Paper, Etching, Drypoint
Milton Avery "Nursing Baby" Drypoint Etching, 1933
By Milton Avery
Located in Astoria, NY
Milton Avery (American, 1885-1965) "Nursing Baby", 1933, drypoint etching on paper, signed in red lower right, numbered 40/100 lower left, housed in a gilt wood frame. Dimensions: I...
Glass, Giltwood, Paper
Milton Avery "Bathers" Drypoint Etching, 1941
By Milton Avery
Located in Astoria, NY
Milton Avery (American, 1885-1965) "Bathers", 1941, drypoint etching on paper, signed and dated lower right, numbered 24/60 lower left, housed in a carved gilt wood frame. Dimension...
Glass, Giltwood, Paper
Milton Avery "Sleeping Baby" Drypoint Etching 1933
By Milton Avery
Located in Astoria, NY
Milton Avery (American, 1885-1965) "Sleeping Baby (Study of March Avery)", 1933, drypoint etching on paper, signed and dated in pencil lower right, numbe...
Glass, Giltwood, Paper
Man with Pipe
By Milton Avery
Located in New York, NY
A very good, richly-inked impression of this scarce drypoint. Signed, dated and numbered 22/60 in pencil by Avery. This is a portrait of the artist Vincent Spagna.
Drypoint
Sold
H 42.92 in W 32.09 in D 0.6 in
VINTAGE MILTON AVERY GREENWICH VILLAGERS 1946 PRINT WiTH ORIGINAL GALLERY STAMP
By Milton Avery
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely signed print by Milton Avery titled Greenwich Villagers 1946 Please note the delivery fee listed is just a guide, it covers within the M25 only for the UK and local Europe only for international, if you would like an accurate quote please send me your postcode and I’ll provide you with the exact price A good looking and well made piece, I don't really know much about it other than its very decorative and has the original gallery...
Paper
Standing Nude
By Milton Avery
Located in New York, NY
A superb, richly-inked impression of this drypoint with strong contrasts. Signed, dated and numbered 32/60 in pencil by Avery.
Drypoint
Sold
H 12.25 in W 18.25 in D 0.75 in
Milton Avery Female Odalisque Signed Modern Woodcut Artist's Proof 1953 Framed
By Milton Avery
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
A sentimental black and white woodcut depicting a female nude by Milton Avery. Signed in pencil on the bottom right with a 1956 date and an artist proof annotation. A classic composition of an odalisque. Dimensions: 18.25"W x .75"D x 12.25"H (framed). In very good vintage condition. Milton Clark Avery (1885-1965) was an American modern painter. Born in Altmar, New York, he moved to Connecticut in 1898 and later to New York City. He was the husband of artist Sally Michel Avery and the father of artist March Avery.
Paper
Rooster
By Milton Avery
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
DESCRIPTION Woodcut in colors on Japan paper 9 5/8 x 7 inches (image size) 12 x 9 inches (paper size) Signed and dated lower right Set aside from an edition of 100 Cat. Raisonné – Lu...
Paper, Woodcut
Figure on the Beach (Lone Sunbather)
By Milton Avery
Located in Fairfield, CT
PROVENANCE Makler Gallery, Philadelphia; to Private collection, 1967; [Sale: Sotheby's, New York, December 1, 2004, lot 240]; to Private collection, New York, until 2021
Watercolor, Board, Pencil
Sold
H 17.75 in W 14.75 in
"March Avery in Beret, " Milton Avery, American Modernism, Portrait of Artist
By Milton Avery
Located in New York, NY
Milton Clark Avery (1885 - 1965) March Avery in a Beret, 1951 Black crayon and graphite on cream wove paper 11 x 8 3/8 inches Signed and dated lower left; ...
Paper, Crayon, Pencil, Graphite
Nude Combing Hair
By Milton Avery
Located in New York, NY
A superb, well-inked impression of this scarce drypoint. Signed, dated and numbered 48/90 in pencil, lower margin.
Drypoint
Three Birds
By Milton Avery
Located in New York, NY
A superb, richly-inked impression of this color woodcut printed on Japan paper. Artist's proof, aside from the edition of 15. Signed, dated and inscribed "Artist's proof" in pencil b...
Color, Woodcut
Trees by the Sea
By Milton Avery
Located in New York, NY
This bold color woodcut print is printed on Japan paper and is an artist proof, aside from the edition of 20. Signed, dated and inscribed "artist proof" in pencil by Avery. Dimension...
Lithograph, Woodcut
Sleeping Sally
By Milton Avery
Located in New Orleans, LA
This intimate portrait by American expressionist Milton Avery is a shining example of the artist's ability to convey personal emotion through impassioned use of color. Avery was an i...
Oil, Board
Frothy Inlet
By Milton Avery
Located in New York, NY
Signed and dated lower right: Milton Avery 1948; on verso: “FROTHY INLET” by MILTON AVERY W.C. 22 x 30 1948
Watercolor