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)
Fishing by the Sea
By Milton Avery
Located in London, GB
Milton Avery Fishing By The Sea, 1944 Gouache on stout paper 55.9 x 78.8 cm 22 x 31 inches Born in Altmar, New York, in 1885, Milton Avery moved with his family to Hartford, Connect...
Paper, Gouache
$3,520Sale Price|20% Off
'Little Girl' — American Modernism
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
$322,000
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....
Mixed Media, Board
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
"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
$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
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
$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
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
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
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
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
$5,400Sale Price|25% Off
STANDING NUDE
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
Tugs on the Hudson
By Charles Frederick William Mielatz
Located in Middletown, NY
Drypoint etching with engraving printed in black ink on Japanese mulberry paper, 4 1/2 x 3 3/8 inches (113 x 84 mm), full margins. In superb condition. A beautiful New York City river...
Handmade Paper, Drypoint, Etching
"Relaxing at Camarillo" - Abstract Expressionism
Located in Soquel, CA
"Relaxing at Camarillo" - Abstract Expressionism A man relines in a black hat and a green shape emulating the symbol of infinity, accented in bright canary yellow and gray, by Calif...
Paper, Acrylic, Gouache, Pencil
$178Sale Price|20% Off
H 8.67 in W 11.82 in
Dream birds. Cardboard, author's technique, 22x30 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Dream birds. Cardboard, author's technique, 22x30 cm Ivars Zaikins (1942-2017) Zaikins Ivars - an artist. He was born in 1942. During of the Soviet Union period, he worked as an ar...
Mixed Media, Cardboard
"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
Canine Triptych 2 by Lesley Anne Spowart
By Lesley Spowart
Located in Carmel, CA
Lesley Anne Spowart, an abstract artist hailing from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is renowned for her transformative creations that blur the boundaries of mediums and styles. With a di...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Board
Chicago Skyline
By Paul Schumann
Located in Middletown, NY
A beautiful turn-of-the-century lake view of Chicago by an American artist known for his Texas landscapes. Etching with drypoint on watermarked Umbria laid paper with deckle edges, 7 1/4 x 10 7/8 inches (182 x 275 mm), full margins. Signed and numbered 4/25 in pencil, lower margin. In good condition with adhesive residue at the sheet edges on the verso, does not show through to the recto. A lovely Lake Michigan landscape...
Handmade Paper, Etching, Drypoint
$150
H 10 in W 15 in
"Cormorant and Egret" Japanese Woodblock Print of Birds in Water & Nature Poem
By Kitagawa Utamaro 1
Located in Austin, TX
Artist: Kitagawa Utamaro the First (Japanese, 1753 - 1806) Publisher: Tsutaya Jūzaburō (Japanese, 1750 - 1797) Page Size: 10 x 15 in. Frame Size: 16 x 22 in. An Edo Period color woo...
Paper, Woodcut
Fish Tank
By Luigi Rist
Located in New York, NY
Color woodcut on Japan paper. Signed by the artist in ink, lower right. Titled and numbered 22/100 in pencil, lower left. Strong, vibrant colors; a richly-inked impression. Cata...
Woodcut, Color
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
Coenties Slip
By Charles Frederick William Mielatz
Located in Middletown, NY
Lower Manhattan and the Seaport as the artist imagined it would have appeared before 1835. New York: 1907. Etching with drypoint on Japon paper, 13 7/8 x 9 3/4 inches (353 x 248 mm...
Etching, Drypoint, Handmade Paper
Cortland Street
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching with drypoint on antique handmade laid Japon paper, 12 7/8 x 7 1/2 (327 x 191 mm); sheet 15 5/16 x 10 7/16 (389 x 265 mm), full margins. Signed in pencil in the lower margin....
Drypoint, Etching
$8,000
H 45 in W 35 in D 0.25 in
"Kinetic II", Mixed Media Shimmering Colorful Textured Abstract, Bright Colors
Located in Carmel, CA
Lesley Anne Spowart (American, born 1957) "Kinetic II" 2025 Mixed media, acrylic paint, and oil paint on paper glued over board Signed by the artist at the bottom right corner and on...
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Paper, Glue, Board
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
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
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
Sold
H 30.5 in W 40.5 in
'Flight' offset lithograph poster with birds after painting by Milton Avery
By Milton Avery
Located in Milwaukee, WI
The present work is a poster from the 1985 Milton Avery exhibition at the David Barnett Gallery, Milwaukee. The poster (as did the catalogue of the exhibition) features the work "Flight," an oil from 1950 that was a centerpiece of the exhibition. In the image, a teal sea is seen in the background, in the foreground is a grey and blue ground. Two birds sit on this ground, a bird with a pink wing sits looking towards the left. A yellow bird is further to the right, but also looks towards the left. The most eye catching bird has begun to fly towards the scene, placed immediately in the center of the composition. Birds such as these were a common motif in Avery's painting and printmaking and he often featured them in his abstracting images of the sea. This poster has been cut down to the image. Unframed and uncut posters are available. Contact us for more information. 28 x 36 inches, image 30.5 x 40.5 inches, frame Framed to conservation standards using archival materials including 100 percent rag matting and UV Clear glass to inhibit UV damage. Housed in a modern-profile red/cabernet-stain finish wood moulding. Overall good condition; some minor wear to frame; poster cut to image Milton Avery (March 7, 1885 – January 3, 1965) was an American modern painter. Born in Altmar, New York, he moved to Connecticut in 1898 and later to New York City. Avery was a man of few words. "Why talk when you can paint?" he often quipped to his wife. Their daughter, March Avery...
Lithograph, Offset
Sold
H 22 in W 17 in
Milton Avery wood block black and white rare dancer COA appraisal framed period
By Milton Avery
Located in Buffalo, NY
Milton Avery. Dancer, 1954. Woodcut. Signed, dated, and numbered in pencil. A fine impression, on cream wove Japan paper, with full margins (7/8 to 3 1/8 inches); in good conditio...
Woodcut