About the Milton Avery papers
All information on this page comes from A Finding Aid to the Milton Avery Papers, ![[Download PDF Version]](/images/website/pdficon_small.gif)
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Biographical Information | Description of the Collection | How to Use the Collection
Biographical Information [+]
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. READ MORE
Description of the Collection
Overview - Scope and Contents
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 business files maintained by Milton Avery's wife Sally as a trustee for the Milton Avery Trust (2.4 linear feet). 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.
Arrangement and Series Description
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)
Subjects
This collection is indexed under the following index terms in the online catalog of the Archives of American Art.
- Subjects-Topical:
- Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
- Painting, Abstract
- Names:
- Avery, Sally
- Duthuit, Georges, 1891-
- Putnam, Wallace, 1899-
- Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943
- Eilshemius, Louis M. (Louis Michel), 1864-1941
- Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970
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.
How the Collection was Processed
Many of the letters loaned by Sally Avery and microfilmed on reel N69-63 were later donated. These were merged with additional accessions and fully processed, arranged, and described in 2007 by Erin Corley, and digitized in 2007 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
How to Use the Collection
Restrictions on Use
The Milton Avery papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
The collection has been digitized and is available online via the Archives of American Art's website.
Available Formats
This collection has been digitized. View the Milton Avery papers online
The collection was digitized in 2007 and is available via the Archives of American Art's website.
Separated Materials
Scrapbooks, a sketchbook, Christmas cards, exhibition catalogs, photographs, and correspondence were loaned between 1968 and 1982 for microfilming by Sally Avery. Loaned material is available for viewing on microfilm reels N68-95, N68-115, N69-63, and 2535, but is not described in the container listing of this finding aid.
How to Cite this Collection
Milton Avery papers, 1926-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.