Milton Avery: Color, Form and Composition (Hardcover)

Edith Devaney

ISBN 10: 8857254542 / ISBN 13: 9788857254548

Published by Skira, Milan, 2026

About this Item

Hardcover. Milton Avery, the poet of colour, in the catalogue of the MICAS exhibition"Why talk when you can paint?" the reticent Milton Avery, grand colourist of modern American art, is reported to have once said. As an aphorism it seems to encapsulate the silent world of this prodigious artist whose method of communication was his canvas: it was not until 1952, at the age of 67, that Avery received his first full-scale retrospective museum exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art, giving him a level of exposure he had not yet experienced, despite having been active for nearly 40 years.And yet, this 'artist's artist' was revered by those who saw in him a master of colour, as his works graduated from early Impressionist landscapes, to the flattened forms of colour that critics say paved the way for the Abstract Expressionists of the 1950s. Summers spent in Provincetown in with Rothko and Gottlieb saw Avery turn the cerulean combination of water and beaches into broad fields of colour that magically converged in simplified representations of colours, "leaving nothing but colour and pattern." Rothko would assert that Avery was America's greatest painter - "his is the poetry of sheer loveliness".Acknowledging that Avery remains an influential painter for today's generation of contemporary artists, this book is a rare European showcase, which features alongside work from a stellar cast of artists responding to Avery's work, which include his daughter March Avery and others who have drawn on his work as inspiration for their use of colour Henni Alftan, Harold Ancart, Andrew Cranston, Gary Hume, Jonas Wood, Nicolas Party. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9788857254548

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Milton Avery: Color, Form and Composition (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Skira, Milan
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 8857254542
• ISBN 13: 9788857254548
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Showcasing the pioneering Modernist's use of color and simplified representation, this catalog highlights his continued influence on painting

Milton Avery (1885–1965), grand colorist of modern American art, is revered for his works spanning early Impressionist landscapes to flattened forms of color, which critics say paved the way for the postwar Abstract Expressionists. Summers spent in Provincetown with Mark Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb saw Avery turn the cerulean combination of water and beaches into broad fields of color that magically converged into simplified forms. Highlighting Avery's sustained role as an influential painter, this book collects over 100 images, featuring many of his paintings alongside work from a stellar cast of artists inspired by his oeuvre, including his daughter, March Avery, as well as Henni Alftan, Harold Ancart, Andrew Cranston, Gary Hume, Jonas Wood and Nicolas Party.