Milton Avery nude leads Bonhams American Art sale in New York
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Sunday, October 6, 2024


Milton Avery nude leads Bonhams American Art sale in New York
Milton Avery (1885-1965), Robed Nude. 68 1/8 x 58 1/8 in. (173 x 147.6 cm.) (Painted in 1960). Estimate: $1,000,000 - 1,500,000. Photo: Bonhams.



NEW YORK, NY.- Milton Avery (1885-1965) was an artist who preferred things stripped back to the essential elements. Hoping to reveal the ‘essence of nature’, in the late 1940s he began to distil the figurative elements of his works into their base forms, removing all details of the composition which he found unnecessary. Painted in 1960, during the most important period of his career, Milton Avery's Robed Nude encapsulates his mature style of chromatic abstraction on a monumental scale. The work leads Bonhams’ American Art sale on November, Thursday 18 in New York with an estimate of $1,000,000-1,500,000.

Head of Sale, Morgan Martin, commented: “Painted at a time when absolute abstraction was the pinnacle of creativity, Robed Nude personifies Avery's status as “a solitary figure working against the stream” – as Adolph Gottlieb eulogized. Avery has simplified the figure’s partially nude body to the simplest lines to expose volume and silhouette, forgoing any extemporaneous detail in favour of purity in form. He aims to capture the distilled essence of the figure, rather than the exact physical likeness of his subject. The result is a truly captivating work by an artist in their prime.”

Milton Avery (1885-1965) was born to a working-class family in upstate New York in 1885, before moving to Connecticut in 1898, where he intermittently enrolled at the Connecticut League of Art Students in Hartford. After working a series of blue-collar jobs in Connecticut, in 1925 Avery moved to New York City to be closer to his future wife and fellow artist, Sally Michel. The pair married in 1926 and Avery was able to commit himself to painting full-time, when Sally became the primary breadwinner of the family as a freelance illustrator. Milton began taking classes at the Arts Students League, entrenching himself within the Modernist scene, and exhibiting works at the Society of Independent Artists and various galleries. In these early New York years, Avery exhibited with Mark Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb at the Opportunity Gallery on 56th street, quickly befriending the younger generation of artists, which also included Elaine de Kooning, John Graham, and Barnett Newman. Through the 1930s and early 40s, Avery's practice evolved to become increasingly simplified and comparisons to works by Henri Matisse earned Avery the nickname, "The American Fauve."

During his convalescence following a heart attack in 1949, Avery began experimenting with monotype printmaking. In the mid-1950s, when he was able to resume painting, he began incorporating elements of the printmaking process within his canvas works, applying layers of diluted paint to the surface to create subtly nuanced areas of color – a technique he used in Robed Nude.

Between 1957 to 1960 Avery would spend the summers in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It was there that he reconnected with Mark Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb. In previous summers, Avery would paint watercolors and make sketches for studio works to be completed in the winter months; in 1957, he started painting large scale canvases “like the abstract boys” – as he told local gallerist Nathan Halper. As his canvases became larger, Avery reduced the number of compositional elements within his works and enhanced the level of abstraction. It was also in 1957, that Avery was visited by famed critic Clement Greenberg, who subsequently wrote a significant article about the artist for Arts Magazine. This article brought Avery immense attention, eventually garnering him a major traveling retrospective which opened at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1960.

Other highlights of the sale include:

• Robert Henri (1865-1929), Chow Choy. 32 x 26 in. (81.3 x 66 cm.) (Painted in 1914). Estimate: $300,000 - 500,000.

• Childe Hassam (1859-1935), Marine View, Isles of Shoals (Panel of a Decorative Mural for the Charles Erskine Scott Wood House, Portland, Oregon). 48 1/4 x 40 7/8 in. (122.6 x 103.8 cm.) (Painted circa 1904). Estimate: $200,000 - 300,000.

• Asher Brown Durand (1796-1886), Landscape. 18 1/8 x 30 1/8 in. (46 x 76.5 cm.) (Painted in 1867). Estimate: $150,000 - 250,000.

• Fairfield Porter (1907-1975), Roses. 17 5/8 x 14 1/8 in. (44.8 x 35.9 cm.) (Painted in 1967). Estimate: $100,000 - 150,000.










Today's News

November 1, 2021

BARBARA JOHNSON ZUBER

Palestinians unveil huge mosaic at Jericho desert castle

Patrick Hughes 60th anniversary exhibition opens at Hang-Up

Archaeologists in Mexico find 1,000-year-old Mayan canoe

Exhibition explores the artistic synergy between two 20th-century icons

Toomey & Co. Auctioneers to hold 'Rookwood & Ohio Art Pottery' sale on November 10 curated by Riley Humler

Julien's Auctions announces highlights included in the Icons & Idols: Rock 'n' Roll auction

Milton Avery nude leads Bonhams American Art sale in New York

Christie's Paris to offer the Daniel Lebard Collection

Glimpsing a soon-to-vanish surrealist world in Chelsea

Whisky baron's 1962 Aston Martin for sale with H&H Classics

Chris Levine transforms Houghton Hall for winter commission

Galerie Guido W. Baudach opens an exhibition of new works by Yves Scherer

Major new art installations announced for London

New body of sculptures from Nancy Rubins' Fluid Space series on view at Rhona Hoffman Gallery

Tunisia film festival opens with 'taboo' abortion movie

Fridman Gallery opens Water Rhythms, an exhibition at its Beacon location

Celebrating a phoenix of a home in Los Angeles

eL Seed unveils new art installation in Nepal, explores the topic of women empowerment

Jennifer Packer's first solo museum exhibition in New York features new paintings and rarely exhibited drawings

Rarely seen installations by Betye Saar inaugurate fall season at ICA Miami

Instituto Inhotim announces new artistic director and executives

The Städel Museum exhibits 130 drawings and one video work by Marc Brandenburg

Bobbie Moline-Kramer's second solo exhibition at Lichtundfire on view in New York

AstaGuru's Heirloom Jewellery, Silver, & Timepieces Online Auction garners INR 12,55,98,033 Crores

New from the bearded badass of logo design, James Martin

Top 10 Benefits of Using 100% CFB Cotton T-Shirts - Made in Portugal

Basic Things You Need To Build A Great Gaming Computer

Find A Good Estate Lawyer

Support Your Breasts While Working Out With A Sexy Sports Bra!

Singapore Online Casino Gambling




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful