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.
Find authentic Milton Avery prints and paintings on 1stDibs.
(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
"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
$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
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
80s Vintage Original Milton Avery Husband and Wife Exhibition Lithograph Poster
By Milton Avery
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
Rare, Oversized, Original, Out of Print, Milton Avery Exhibition Lithograph Print entitled "Husband and Wife" published in 1984 by the Wadsworth Atheneum Art Museum of Hartford, Conn...
Paper
Rare Milton Avery MoMA Exhibition Poster Sea Grasses & Blue Sea 1958
By Milton Avery
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
Extremely rare, 1988 Milton Avery, Museum of Modern Art, New York, exhibition lithograph poster of the artist's 1958 painting, "Sea Grasses and Blue Sea,...
Paper
$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
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
$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
"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
$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
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
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
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
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
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
$300
H 13.5 in W 20 in D 0.07 in
Picasso Inspired Original Surrealist Art Exhibition Poster by Antoni Clave
By Antoni Clavé
Located in Miami, FL
Picasso Inspired Original Surrealist Art Exhibition Poster by Antoni Clave Original art exhibition poster by listed Spanish artist Antoni Clave from his Ginza Japan show. This int...
Paper
$675
H 20.75 in W 16.75 in D 0.5 in
"The Little One" - Rare Signed Figurative Lithograph in Ink on Paper
By Eugene Hawkins
Located in Soquel, CA
"The Little One" - Figurative Lithograph in Ink on Paper Bold lithograph by Eugene Hawkins (American, b. 1933). A young child is kneeling, facing away ...
Paper, Ink, Lithograph
$220Sale Price|25% Off
H 25.5 in W 18 in D 0.07 in
Original Midcentury Abstract Art Exhibition Poster, Signed Rosso Dated 1975
Located in Miami, FL
Original midcentury abstract art exhibition poster with wonderful vivid colors of blue, red, green, beige, etc... Very decorative, signed by t...
Paper
"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
Signed Rare Milton Glaser Big Nudes Lithograph
By Milton Glaser
Located in New York, NY
Artist: MILTON GLASER (1929-2020) Not numbered. Signature is faded in lower right. Glass frame with metal edge. Framed: 51.5"W x 36"H "Big Nudes" was at the...
Paper
$6,450
H 34.75 in W 22.75 in D 0.1 in
Keith Haring Signed Lithograph Tony Shafrazi Gallery Exhibition Poster Into 84
By Keith Haring
Located in Studio City, CA
A fantastic, wonderfully designed, striking original color offset lithograph on thick wove paper exhibition poster from Keith Haring's 1983 Tony Shafrazi New York City Gallery show I...
Paper
$300
H 30.25 in W 19.75 in D 0.08 in
Original Paul Klee Mid-Century Lithograph Exhibition Poster, 1955
Located in Winter Park, FL
An original Mid Century French lithograph exhibition poster for Paul Klee, published by Galerie Berggruen & Cie, Paris. The design features a grid of colorful geometric squares, ...
Canvas, Paper
1967 Bob Dylan - Milton Glaser Original Vintage Poster
By Milton Glaser
Located in Winchester, GB
Celebrated graphic designer Milton Glaser was commissioned to create this special poster to package with Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits album in 1966. With Dylan suffering serious injurie...
Paper
$475
H 28 in W 20 in D 1.5 in
"January 18 to February 12" Exhibition Poster of Jester on Horse by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in San Diego, CA
"January 18 to February 12" exhibition poster of jester on horse by Ben Shahn, circa 1960s. The poster is in good vintage condition and measures 20" x 28"; it is presented in a vint...
Paper
$200Sale Price|20% Off
H 33 in W 21 in D 0.025 in
Vintage Andy Warhol Skulls Exhibition Poster, Offset Lithograph, 1996
By (after) Andy Warhol
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage Andy Warhol Skulls exhibition poster: London, 1996 Offset lithograph 21x33 inches Good overall vintage condition; contains fold lines as originally issued _ Andy Warhol...
Paper
Victor Moscoso, Signed Vintage Exhibition Poster ‘Trippy World’
By Victor Moscoso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Signed vintage Victor Moscoso exhibition poster Published in conjunction with 'Trippy World' - a 1999 exhibition held at Baron/Boisante gallery, New York. Off-set lithograph Measures: 16 x 20 inches Hand signed in pencil (lower right). Very good to excellent overall condition Signed First printing; 1999; acquired directly from Baron/Boisante. Victor Moscoso was among the most gifted and influential artists to emerge from the '60s counterculture, pioneering not only the psychedelic concert poster designs made famous during San Francisco's Summer of Love, but also making his mark in underground comix. Born in Spain and raised in Brooklyn, Moscoso attended Cooper Union Art School before studying at the Yale School of Art; he arrived on the west coast in 1959 to enroll at the San Francisco Art Institute, and after graduation remained at the school for another five years to teach lithography. Alongside Rick Griffin, Wes Wilson, Stanley Mouse, and Alton Kelley...
Paper
Low Country (South Carolina)
By Elizabeth Verner
Located in Middletown, NY
An enchanting Southern landscape by the mother of the Charleston Renaissance. A native of Charleston, South Carolina, and educated under the tutelage of Thomas Anshutz at The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, O'Neill Verner was a teacher, a mother, an artist, an ardent preservationist, and a skilled autodidact. Having previously focused on painting, in the early 1920s she found herself deeply moved by printmaking as a media, and especially so by the simple, peaceful themes and tableaus she discovered in Japanese art. She embarked on a effort to teach herself Japanese printmaking techniques, and in the process, produced the charming images of every day life in Charleston and its environs that earned her recognition as a cultural icon in her day, and in more modern times, as the mother of the Charleston Renaissance, which flourished well into the 1930s. In 1923 she opened a studio in Charleston where she focused on documenting the local color and the architecture and landscape that distinguishes Charleston as one of the South's most beautiful cities, all the while applying the gentle and poetic thematic sensibilities of Japanese printmaking. O'Neill Verner soon found herself in high demand when municipalities and institutions throughout the country sought commissions from her to document the beauty of their grounds and historic buildings. She worked as far north as the campuses of Harvard and Princeton, and extensively across the South, including in Savannah, Georgia, where through sweeping commissions she was able to marry her love of southern preservation and art. O'Neill Verner was a lifelong learner, and continued a path of edification that led her to study etching at the Central School of Art in London, to travel extensively through Europe, and to visit Japan in 1937, where she studied sumi (brush and ink) painting. She was a founding member of the Charleston Etchers Club, and the Southern States Art League. Her works are represented in the permanent collections of leading museums across the American south, and in major national institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Boston's Museum of Fine Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. O'Neil Verner...
Archival Paper, Drypoint, Etching
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