By the time Avery painted this rather muted depiction of Brooklyn’s Coney Island, the popular amusement park and beach had for decades been attracting artists and photographers, lured by scenes of boisterous human activity and the implicit surrealism of the park’s escapist attractions. Curiously, Avery’s interpretation of Coney Island features only a small group of bathers in the foreground, most of whom appear isolated from one another. The Steeplechase, roller coaster (the famous Cyclone), and carousel behind them show no sign of movement. Thus, the painter seems to show the park during off-season, when its promise of joy and frivolity is forestalled until the following spring.
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Inscription: Signed (lower left): Milton Avery; signed, dated, and inscribed (verso): "Steeplechase" / by / Milton Avery / 1929 / 32 x 40
the artist (1929–d. 1965); his widow, Sally M. Avery, New York (1965–84; her gift to MMA)
Annandale-on-Hudson, N. Y. Edith C. Blum Art Institute. Milton and Sally Avery Center for the Arts. The Bard College Center. "Milton Avery—Early and Late," May 29–July 31, 1981, no. 12 (lent by the Milton Avery Trust, New York).
Scottsdale, Ariz. Yares Gallery. "Milton Avery. The Transcending Years: 1921–1941," January 1982, no. 4.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "New York City," January 12–July 1, 1990, no catalogue.
Tulsa, Okla. Philbrook Museum of Art. "The Landscape in Twentieth-Century American Art: Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," April 14–June 9, 1991, no. 14.
Miami. Center for the Fine Arts. "The Landscape in Twentieth-Century American Art: Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," June 29–August 24, 1991, no. 14.
Omaha. Joslyn Art Museum. "The Landscape in Twentieth-Century American Art: Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," September 14–November 10, 1991, no. 14.
Tampa Museum of Art. "The Landscape in Twentieth-Century American Art: Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," December 14, 1991–February 8, 1992, no. 14.
Greenville, S. C. Greenville County Museum of Art. "The Landscape in Twentieth-Century American Art: Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," March 17–May 10, 1992, no. 14.
Madison, Wisc. Madison Art Center. "The Landscape in Twentieth-Century American Art: Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," June 6–August 2, 1992, no. 14.
Grand Rapids, Mich. Grand Rapids Art Museum. "The Landscape in Twentieth-Century American Art: Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," September 11–November 8, 1992, no. 14.
Hartford, Conn. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. "Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland, 1861–2008," January 31–May 31, 2015, no.43 (as "The Steeplechase, Coney Island").
San Diego Museum of Art. "Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland, 1861–2008," July 11–October 13, 2015, no.43.
Brooklyn Museum. "Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland, 1861–2008," November 20, 2015–March 13, 2016, no.43.
San Antonio, Tex. McNay Art Museum. "Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland, 1861–2008," May 11–September 11, 2016, no.43.
Marla Price. Milton Avery—Early and Late. Exh. cat., Edith C. Blum Art Institute. Milton and Sally Avery Center for the Arts. The Bard College Center. Annandale-on-Hudson, N. Y., 1981, pp. 11, 42, no. 12, ill. p. 27.
Ed Montini. "Scottsdale Gallery Display's American Colorists's Paintings, Sketches." Arizona Republic (January 3, 1982), p. F1, ill.
Lisa M. Messinger in "Twentieth Century Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Notable Acquisitions, 1984–1985. New York, 1985, p. 58, ill.
Maureen Mullarkey. "Tuesday at the Met." Hudson Review 40 (Summer 1987), p. 205 [possibly this work].
Lisa M. Messinger inThe Landscape in Twentieth-Century American Art: Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Exh. cat., American Federation of Arts. New York, 1991, pp. 41, 67.
Lowery Stokes Sims inThe Landscape in Twentieth-Century American Art: Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Exh. cat., American Federation of Arts. New York, 1991, pp. 52, no. 14, ill. p. 53 (color).
John Brandenburg. "Art Review: Philbrook Show Features 60 Landscape Paintings." Daily Oklahoman (May 29, 1991), p. 13.
Eliot Nusbaum. "Joslyn Hosts a Vivid Landscape Show." Des Moines Sunday Register (September 22, 1991), p. 7F.
Mary Ann Marger. "An Artistic Tribute to America." Tampa Bay Times (January 17, 1992), p. 32, calls it "Coney Island Steeplechase".
Robin Jaffee Frank in Robin Jaffee Frank. Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland, 1861–2008. Exh. cat., Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. Hartford, Conn., 2015, pp. 67–68, colorpl. 43.
Milton Avery (American, Altmar, New York 1885–1965 New York)
1948
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