Milton Avery: Home and Studio/A Sketchbook

A window into the working life of one of the foremost artists of the twentieth century, this special-edition, two-volume book includes a facsimile of an unpublished sketchbook completed in the South of France during Milton Avery’s only visit to Europe in 1952, and a unique picture essay of the artist’s New York home and studio by photographer Gautier Deblonde.

One of the foremost artists of the twentieth century, Milton Avery (1885–1965) is celebrated for his luminous paintings of landscapes, figures and still lifes, which balance distillation of form with free, vigorous brushwork and lyrical colour.

This two-volume book offers a window into Avery’s working life. Home and Studio provides unique access to Avery’s New York home, where he lived from 1959 until his death in January 1965. The apartment includes a studio where many of his important late works were completed. Avery’s habit was to devote his summers to drawing and making watercolours – Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont were favourite locations – which would serve as the basis for the oil paintings he worked on during the winters back in New York.  

Avery visited Europe only once, during the summer of 1952 when, accompanied by his wife Sally Michel Avery and their daughter March, he travelled to London, Paris and the French Riviera. A Sketchbook is a facsimile of a previously unpublished sketchbook that offers a revealing account of his experiences of Saint-Tropez, Saint–Rémy and Les Baux-de-Provence. It includes preparatory drawings for important works completed on his return, including March on the Balcony, 1952 (The Phillips Collection, Washington DC).

The January issue of The World of Interiors (available from 7 December) features an exclusive article on Milton Avery by Morgan Falconer in conversation with the artist's grandson Sean Cavanaugh. Interior photography: Gautier Deblonde.

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