Sally Michel Avery 1966 Oil Painting "Italian Countryside"

Item Details

Sally Michel Avery (American; 1902-2003)
Italian Countryside, 1966
Oil on canvas board
Signed “Sally Michel” to lower right
Dated to lower right
Titled and inscribed to verso

An oil painting on canvas board titled Italian Countryside by American artist Sally Michel Avery (1902-2003), created in 1966. Portrayed in the artist’s trademark style with loose forms and large fields of color, this work features an abstracted hilly landscape with a blue-leafed tree to the left foreground. The work is signed ‘Sally Avery’ and dated to the lower right. It is titled and inscribed to the verso and presented in a white painted wood frame. A frame label is adhered to the verso.

Sally Michel Avery studied at the Art Students League of New York and married famed modern artist Milton Avery in 1926. Unlike Milton, Sally did not put much effort into selling her art and gaining recognition to the level of her husband. Instead, she focused on producing illustrations for The New York Times, children’s books, and other publications, all the while managing Milton’s career ahead of her own. As a testament to Sally’s impact on Milton’s career, Roberta Smith wrote in The New York Times, ‘Without Sally Michel there would have been no Milton Avery, or at least not as much.’ Sally’s work has been exhibited and collected by numerous institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Corcoan Gallery, and The National Museum of Women in the Arts, among others.

Provenance
From the estate of Reese Palley (1922-2015).

Condition

- minor wear scattered throughout frame.

Dimensions

- measurement of frame; visible image measures approximately 23.75" W x 17.75" H.

Item #

18DCC700-158