Milton Avery in Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea
30 June—27 September 2026
Group exhibition at Cape Ann Museum, Downtown Campus, Gloucester, MA
Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea explores the artistic bond between three pivotal 20th century American artists—Milton Avery (1885–1965), Adolph Gottlieb (1903–1974), and Mark Rothko (1903-1970)—whose shared summers in Gloucester, Massachusetts, from the 1920s to the mid-1940s had a lasting impact on their work. The exhibit is being presented through a collaboration between the Cape Ann Museum and The Phillips Collection (Washington, D.C.) where it will be shown later in the year.
The show will feature over 82 works from the 1920s to the 1960s, with loans from 26 prominent national and private institutional collections, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., which is a central partner lending 10 works by Mark Rothko to the exhibition. Many works in this exhibition have never been on public view.
This unprecedented exhibit, accompanied by a 224-page catalog produced by Rizzoli Electa, will reveal the deep connections between these artists, emphasizing their roles as both mentors and peers, while showcasing the unique working methods and lifelong friendships that shaped their groundbreaking art. The catalog, in addition to including essays by Eliza Rathbone, will also feature contributions by prominent art scholars and curators.