Avery, Gottlieb, Rothko: A Close-Knit Trio at the Phillips Center

Avery's last works were as fresh as though he were a young painter and of course, they also had the authority of an old master. Avery is one of the few great painters of our time.
– Adolph Gottlieb

At first Adolph painted moody landscapes; then he went on to bolder, simpler statements, his color becoming clearer and more melodious... for me, this has been exciting to watch.
– Milton Avery

Much of Milton Avery’s (1885-1965) adult life was spent painting in his New York apartment. He painted his wife, Sally, whose work as an illustrator supported the family. He painted his daughter, March, who grew up to become an artist. He painted the friends who often dropped by, like Adolph Gottlieb (1903–1974) and Mark Rothko (1903–1970), who were greatly influenced by Avery’s use of composition and color.

 

The three artists, Avery, Gottlieb and Rothko, spent summers painting in Gloucester, Massachusetts, on Cape Ann, where Avery painted some of his most beautiful seascapes.

 

 

Both Gottlieb and Rothko were nearly twenty years younger than Avery. They embraced the abstract and minimalist styles of their time and had more commercial success than Avery, their mentor. 

 

Mark Rothko delivered the eulogy at Avery’s funeral, which was attended by more than 600 people. Rothko said, “What was Avery's repertoire? His living room, Central Park, his wife Sally, his daughter March, the beaches and mountains where they summered; cows, fish heads, the flight of birds; his friends and whatever world strayed through his studio: a domestic, unheroic cast. But from these there have been fashioned great canvases, that far from the casual and transitory implications of the subjects, have always a gripping lyricism, and often achieve the permanence and monumentality of Egypt.”

 

 

It wasn’t until nearly twenty years after his death, that Milton Avery’s work began to garner the attention it deserves and to be appreciated by a wider audience. His work can be found in major museums around the world, including MoMA, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Tate London and many other fine venues.

 

The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C, which was the first museum to purchase one of Avery’s works and gave him his first solo museum show, has announced preparation for a special exhibition that will examine the way in which the lifelong friendship of Avery, Gottlieb and Rothko inspired their works.

 

About 75 paintings, drawings, prints, and watercolors from the 1920s to the 1960s, will be on display, some of which have never been on public view before.

 

Avery, Gottlieb, Rothko: A Close-Knit Trio will be on exhibit at The Phillips Collection from October 24, 2026 through January 24, 2027.

 

---

 

Please contact us if you would like more information about the works of Milton Avery and Adolph Gottlieb available at Surovek Gallery.

 

---

 

April 3, 2025