Adam's MID-CENTURY MODERN 10th May 2022

32 Tuesday 10 th May 2022 50 MILTON AVERY (1885-1965) TWO PINES Mixed media on paper, 63.5 x 48.3cm Signed Provenance: With Waddington Galleries, London; Private Collection, Dublin € 20,000 - 30,000 Milton Avery was an artist whose work was largely overlooked during his lifetime as his style fell between that of the American Impressionists and Abstract Expressionists. Devoid of a movement, he was often claimed to be either ‘too abstract’ or ‘not abstract enough’ and thus it wasn’t until after he died that he became recognised as one of the great talents of the 20th century. Born in 1885 in upstate New York, Avery first studied art at the Connecticut League of Art Students, enrolling in 1905. He later furthered his education at the School of Art at the Society of Hartford and, in 1924, he became a member of the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts. His training prepared him for a life as an academic artist, however Avery was no stranger to the New York galleries and he became strongly influenced by the contemporary movements stomping through the city. In 1927, Avery first exhibited his work at a group show in New York. Eight years later, the Valentine Gallery afforded him his first solo exhibition. As a representative of the Valentine, Avery joined a select group of modern masters, counting Matisse, Picasso, Kandinsky and Miro among his fellow artists. Avery’s work won the admiration of Roy Neuberger who, ultimately, owned more than a hundred of his paintings. He freely lent these to museums worldwide with the hope of spreading Avery’s name and gaining him the renown which was deserved. Sadly, despite these attempts, Avery remained largely dependant on his wife for financial support. From 1920 onwards, Milton Avery spent his summers in New England and this gave rise to an appreciation of natu- ral forms and subject matter. Two Pines is an elegant expression of this inspiration, a moment caught fleetingly, as if glimpsed through a car window. As is usual in his work, Avery does not try to impress the viewer with a technical grasp of linear perspective and, instead, seeks to achieve depth through colour. Here, the dark tones of the foliage in the foreground give way to the dusky peach beyond as the pink recedes into and mixes with the paper itself. Though two-dimensional in form, the trees hold their presence, proud to be the subject of attention. The frenzied marks allow the image to vibrate with movement, lifting the picture from the page to embody its 3-D representation. What, at first glance, appears to be a simple, almost childlike image, quickly transforms into something much more complex as we are forced to actively engage with the shapes and colours to create our own narrative. Helena Carlyle, April 2022 ‘MILTON AVERY - AMERICAN COLOURIST’ - THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE EXHIBITION OF AVERY’S WORK IN EUROPE WILL OPEN AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY, LONDON ON JULY 15TH 2022 AND WILL RUN UNTIL OCTOBER 16TH.