Sally Michel Avery

(American, 1902–2003)

Sally Michel Avery was an American painter known for her lyrical depictions of everyday life. Though she used techniques and stylized forms that were very similar to those of her husband Milton Avery, Michel’s works were often smaller and more thickly painted. Marked by a sensitivity to light and weather, the artist employed alternating areas of pale and rich colors to convey a scene rather than copy it. Born Sally Michel in 1902 in Brooklyn, NY, she met her husband in 1924 while she spending the summer painting in Gloucester, MA. They married in 1926, and over the following decades she would support her husband’s career by working as a commercial illustrator enabling him to continue painting until his work began to sell. The Avery family frequently traveled during the summer months. Their vacations around North America, Mexico, and Europe inspired many of Michel’s landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. The artist continued to paint throughout the rest of her life, dying at the age 100 on January 9, 2003 in New York, NY. She is survived by her daughter the painter March Avery. Today, Michel’s works are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Fresno Art Museum, and the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, among others.

Sally Michel Avery Artworks

Sally Michel Avery (208 results)
Red Interior, 1968

Sally Michel Avery

Red Interior, 1968

Sale Date: February 23, 2014

Auction Closed

Tree & Mountain, 1981

Sally Michel Avery

Tree & Mountain, 1981

Sale Date: February 19, 2014

Auction Closed

Lake in the Hills, 1981

Sally Michel Avery

Lake in the Hills, 1981

Sale Date: February 19, 2014

Auction Closed

Hills Reflected; Summer Sun; Post Swim (3..., 1985

Sally Michel Avery

Hills Reflected; Summer Sun; Post Swim (3..., 1985

Sale Date: November 16, 2013

Auction Closed

Gold in autumn, 1978

Sally Michel Avery

Gold in autumn, 1978

Sale Date: November 3, 2013

Auction Closed

Striped drape, 1980

Sally Michel Avery

Striped drape, 1980

Sale Date: November 3, 2013

Auction Closed

Nude seated, 1982

Sally Michel Avery

Nude seated, 1982

Sale Date: November 3, 2013

Auction Closed

Watchers by the Sea, 1975

Sally Michel Avery

Watchers by the Sea, 1975

Sale Date: December 16, 2012

Auction Closed

Seated girl with cat, 1974

Sally Michel Avery

Seated girl with cat, 1974

Sale Date: March 11, 2012

Auction Closed

Striped drape, 1980

Sally Michel Avery

Striped drape, 1980

Sale Date: November 18, 2007

Auction Closed

Nude, 1989

Sally Michel Avery

Nude, 1989

Sale Date: February 3, 2012

Auction Closed

Circus performers

Sally Michel Avery

Circus performers

Sale Date: February 3, 2012

Auction Closed

Windy day (Florida), 1984

Sally Michel Avery

Windy day (Florida), 1984

Sale Date: February 3, 2012

Auction Closed

Seated girl with cat, 1974

Sally Michel Avery

Seated girl with cat, 1974

Sale Date: November 29, 2011

Auction Closed

Two riders, 1967

Sally Michel Avery

Two riders, 1967

Sale Date: November 6, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled (Women and cats), 1975

Sally Michel Avery

Untitled (Women and cats), 1975

Sale Date: November 6, 2011

Auction Closed

Milton seated

Sally Michel Avery

Milton seated

Sale Date: November 6, 2011

Auction Closed

Surf watchers, 1979

Sally Michel Avery

Surf watchers, 1979

Sale Date: October 27, 2011

Auction Closed

Portrait of a woman on the telephone

Sally Michel Avery

Portrait of a woman on the telephone

Sale Date: May 4, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled, two figures, 1983

Sally Michel Avery

Untitled, two figures, 1983

Sale Date: September 24, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled (Figure with sheep)

Sally Michel Avery

Untitled (Figure with sheep)

Sale Date: September 14, 2010

Auction Closed

An evening at home, 1966

Sally Michel Avery

An evening at home, 1966

Sale Date: July 6, 2010

Auction Closed

The red headband, 1982

Sally Michel Avery

The red headband, 1982

Sale Date: May 27, 2010

Auction Closed

The conversation, 1977

Sally Michel Avery

The conversation, 1977

Sale Date: May 27, 2010

Auction Closed