Milton Avery 1885-1965

By descent in the family to the present owner (acquired directly from the artist)

 

 

Gimpel and Weitzenhoffer, Ltd. New York, n.d.

Good condition, unlined, craquelure in light pink background; under UV: small retouches in light pink background to address minor frame abrasion, inpainting to address eight inch horizontal scratch on left side.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Sally M. Avery writes, "In approaching a canvas Milton had already measured and weighed a number of concepts.  Sitting in his favorite rocker, pipe in hand, he would study the blank canvas. He said 'A blank canvas is a thing of beauty. The challenge is to cover it and still retain that radiance.' Milton would sit and rock and visualize the painting he was about to create. When that image became loud and clear he would go to the easel, lightly sketch in his motif, and begin to paint.  As the painting took shape - it might be a figure, it might be a landscape, it might be a seascape - the subject was not the object.

"The clarity of his thinking was evident in the exactness of the color harmonies, sometimes brisk, sometimes tender, the definition of shapes interlocking or free, and over all a sense of order which carries the unmistakable imprint of the unique genius of Milton Avery" (Milton Avery: A Retrospective of Forty-Eight Oils, Watercolors, Gouaches, Drawings, Monotypes and Original Prints, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1984)

As early as 1944, the year he painted Card Game, Avery had started to simplify the shapes and detail in his compositions, paring down elements to express the experience of the painting rather than its subject. "By broadly generalizing contours, and minimizing shapes and graphic details, he sought to transcend the particular factual accidents of his subjects and capture their universality - whether of individual form or of essential relationships between objects" (Barbara Haskell, Milton Avery, New York, 1982, p.117).