Born in 1885 to a working-class family in Connecticut, Milton Avery left school at 16 to work in a factory. Intending to study lettering but soon transferring to painting, he attended evening school for fifteen years before moving to New York in the 1920s to pursue a career as a painter.
Although he never identified with a particular movement, Avery was a sociable member of the New York art scene. He became a figure of considerable influence for a younger generation of American artists, including Mark Rothko, Adolph Gottlieb and Barnett Newman. His talent was praised by Rothko, who said of his work -the poetry penetrated every pore of the canvas to the last touch of the brush-.
Edith Devaney introduces Avery and his work, while Erin Monroe looks at Avery-s early years in Hartford, and Marla Price examines Matisse-s influence upon his art. A conversation with the artist-s daughter March Avery Cavanaugh and an illustrated chronology by Isabella Boorman complete the book.</
