MILTON AVERY (1885 - 1965)

Milton Avery was born in Altmar, New York. He received his brief training at the Connecticut League of Arts Students in Hartford; in 1925 he moved to New York where, apart from a trip to Europe in 1952, he remained until his death. Now best known for his seaside views and figure studies, throughout his career Avery's work received only sporadic attention from the American art press. His wife, Sally, supported him economically by working as an illustrator and emotionally by her commitment to his art. Avery's work provides an important link between European masters of color Henri Matisse and Hans Hoffman to the American color field painters such as Mark Rothko, Adolph Gottlieb, and Helen Frankenthaler.