Avery, Gottlieb, Rothko: A Close-Knit Trio

This exhibition will tell the story of the lifelong friendship between three towering figures in American art: Milton Avery (1885–1965), Adolph Gottlieb (1903–1974), and Mark Rothko (1903–1970), and highlight the inspiration they derived from summers in Gloucester, Massachusetts, on Cape Ann. Through approximately 75 paintings, drawings, prints, and watercolors from the 1920s to the 1960s, this exhibition will reflect for the first time the artistic exchange between these three artists, the experiences they shared, and the support that they provided to each other. Many works in this exhibition have never been on public view. 

This exhibition is organized by the Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester, Massachusetts, in partnership with The Phillips Collection.

Lead support of the Washington, DC, presentation of Avery, Gottlieb, Rothko: A Close-Knit Trio is provided by The Phillips Collection Exhibition’s Endowment Fund.

This exhibition is made possible, in part, by the Linda Lichtenberg Kaplan Exhibition Fund.

Milton Avery, Black Sea, 1959, The Phillips Collection, Acquired 1965; © 2025 Milton Avery Trust/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York