Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Additional Online Media

Catalog Data

Creator:
Avery, Milton, 1885-1965  Search this
Subject:
Avery, Sally  Search this
Rothko, Mark  Search this
Eilshemius, Louis M. (Louis Michel)  Search this
Duthuit, Georges  Search this
Putnam, Wallace  Search this
Hartley, Marsden  Search this
Place of publication, production, or execution:
United States
Physical Description:
2.8 Linear feet
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 7 series: Series 1: Biographical Material, 1964, 1975 (Box 1; 1 folder) Series 2: Correspondence, 1935-1981 (Box 1; 10 folders) Series 3: Subject Files, 1950-1981 (Box 1-4; 2.4 linear feet) Series 4: Writings, circa 1951-1979 (Box 4; 5 folders) Series 5: Financial & Legal Records, 1943-1982 (Box 4; 6 folders) Series 6: Printed Material, 1926, 1962-1977 (Box 4; 4 folders) Series 7: Photographs, circa 1970 (Box 4; 1 folder)
Access Note / Rights:
The collection has been digitized and is available online via the Archives of American Art's website.
Summary:
The papers of abstract painter Milton Avery measure 2.8 linear feet and date from 1926 to 1982, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1950 to 1982. Almost the entire collection consists of records of the Milton Avery Trust (2.4 linear feet) maintained by Avery's wife Sally, who served as a trustee. Milton Avery's business and personal correspondence (five folders) contains letters from friends and fellow artists, including a few from George Duthuit, Louis Eilshemius, Marsden Hartley, Wallace Putnam, and Mark Rothko. Also found are scattered writings about Avery, price lists, estate records, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and news clippings.
Citation:
Milton Avery papers, 1926-1982, bulk 1950-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The papers of Milton Avery in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2007, and total 6149 images.
Materials lent for microfilming are available on 35mm microfilm reels N68-95, N68-115, N69-63, and 2535 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Funding:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
Use Note:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming on reels N68-95, N68-115, N69-63, and 2535 including six scrapbooks, a sketchbook, Christmas cards, exhibition catalogs, and photographs. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Biography Note:
Milton Avery (1885-1965) was born in Altmar, New York and grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. Around 1905 he began attending the Connecticut League of Art Students in Hartford where he studied life drawing while also working full-time as a factory worker and file clerk. In 1915 he had his first public exhibition and, in 1918, transferred to the School of Art Society in Hartford. In 1924 he met Sally Michel (1905-2003), a student at the Art Students League in New York, and moved to New York City to be closer to her. They married one year later. Around this time Avery also altered his year of birth to 1893, perhaps due to the age difference between him and Sally. After their marriage Sally worked as an illustrator so that Avery could paint full time.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The Milton Avery papers were donated in 1968, 1969, and 1982 by his widow Sally Avery, including a few letters previously loaned for microfilming.
Digitization Note:
The papers of Milton Avery in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2007. The papers have been scanned in their entirety, and total 6,149 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Painting, Abstract  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9536
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211735
AAA_collcode_avermilt
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211735