Milton Avery 1961

Sally Michel created this sketch of Milton Avery, her husband, in 1961. With its casual lines and intimate composition, it gives the impression of a domestic scene. The image conjures ideas of artistic community. Avery was part of a vital group of artists working in New York who explored abstraction in their works. But we also see the way art making can be shaped by the roles artists play within their own families. Michel herself was a successful artist who put her career aside to support her husband, and her artistic voice is often overlooked in art historical accounts. To understand this image more fully, we need to look at the social and institutional conditions of artistic production, looking at archives of artists' correspondence and exhibition histories, as well as considering the gendered dynamics that may shape the art world.