Milton Avery
Two Figures at Desk, 1944
Milton Avery 1885-1965
An exhibit of the works of Milton Avery has traveled from the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth to the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut. The exhibit's final destination is the Royal Academy of Arts in London, where a comprehensive collection of Avery's works will be on view for the first time outside of the United States.
Last month, NPR host, Susan Stamberg, spoke with Avery's daughter, March Avery Cavanaugh and her son, Sean Cavanaugh. Both are artists, although Sean never met his grandfather.
March and her mother, artist Sally Michel Avery, were the subject of many of Avery's paintings, although she said that she never formally posed for her father. Avery painted at home and did portraits of many of the visitors who walked through the door. Some of those visitors were young artists, like Mark Rothko, who said that Milton Avery celebrated the world around him with a poetry that "penetrated every pore of the canvas to the very last touch of the brush".
Avery's flat planes and vibrant colors, his masterful use of both oil and watercolor, made him one of America's greatest colorists. He was neither an Abstract Impressionist, nor an Abstract Expressionist. He worked between the popularity of both movements and was often overlooked.
His paintings are in major museums around the world, thanks, in part, to benefactor, Roy Rothschild Neuberger, and the upcoming show in London is the first extensive exhibition of Avery's work in Europe.
Milton Avery: American Colourist will be on display at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art from March 5 through June 5, 2022 and then travels to the Royal Academy of Arts in London from July 15 to October 16, 2022.
Frieze LA 2022
The third edition of the Frieze LA art fair closed last weekend and, by all accounts, it was a great success. The fair began with a VIP breakfast for Hollywood celebrities like Pierce Brosnan, James Corden, Leonardo DiCaprio, Owen Wilson and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The works of LA-based artist, Jonas Wood, sold well, as did those of other contemporary artists whose works were on display for the five-day event.
Gazing Ball, a sculpture by Jeff Koons, reportedly sold for just under $3 million and was probably the top-dollar seller at Frieze.
Please contact us if you would like more information about the work of Milton Avery, Jonas Wood, Jeff Koons or any of the other fine art available at Surovek Gallery.
References:
Susan Stamberg. Artist Milton Avery created many amazing works before his death in 1965. NPR. Morning Edition/Interview. January 1, 2022.
Ingrid Schmidt. The Weeknd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leonardo DiCaprio, James Corden in the Market for Art at Frieze Los Angeles. The Hollywood Reporter. February 18, 2022.
