Conversation in Studio

Arts of the Americas

1943

Milton Avery
American, 1885–1965

Milton Avery was an American artist known for his study and usage of color, often referred to as a precursor to Color Field painters. His work frequently bridged the gap between realist and abstract art. The four figures in Conversation in the Studio have not been identified; however, meetings like these were a common occurrence in both Avery’s New York apartment and art studio. American artists such as Mark Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb among others would often stop by to see and discuss Avery’s work, while Avery in turn would sketch the gatherings and conversations taking place around him. The artist himself addressed this tendency, asking “why talk when you can paint?” The flat color fields and textured application of thin paint layers give shape and structure to the elegantly dressed figures and their surroundings. By the 1940s, Avery was increasingly using a nonnaturalistic palette to create mood in his paintings, as the bright-blue and green faces of the men demonstrate.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of the Americas

Artist: Milton Avery
Title: Conversation in Studio
Place: United States (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1943
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: Approx.: 106.7 × 91.4 cm (42 1/16 × 36 in.)
Credit Line: Bequest of Roy R. Neuberger
Reference Number: 2011.107

Providence, Rhode Island School of Design, Museum of Art, and Annmary Brown Memorial, Brown University, The Neuberger Collection, An American Collection, May 8–June 30, 1968; Smithsonian Institution, National Collection of Fine Arts, Aug. 15–Sept. 25, 1968, cat. 29.

The artist; to Paul Rosenberg & Co. New York; sold to Roy Neuberger, (died 2010) 1951; bequested to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2011.

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