Milton Avery (American, 1885 – 1965) was a painter known for his portraits, still lifes, and landscapes. In 1918, he attended the School of Art Society of Hartford and in 1924 he became a member of the Connecticut Academy Fine Arts. A year later, he moved to New Jersey and between the years of 1926 to 1939, he attended sketch classes at the Art Students League in New York where he became acquainted with Adolph Gottlieb, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman. It was at the time that Avery’s work became increasingly more abstract.

Unlike his peers, Avery did not enjoy widespread recognition for his work until 1957 when the influential art critic Clement Greenberg wrote an article on Avery in Arts Magazine. In 1960, he had a retrospective of his work at the Whitney Museum of American art. He was often referred to as the American Matisse because of his use of bright colours and innovative brush work. His work is typified by broad swaths of colour, and simplified compositions.