Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea – Symposium

Join us for Cape Ann Museum’s Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea Symposium spanning two days. Thursday, September 17, 5:30 p.m. Friday, September 18, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Downtown Campus Auditorium 27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA 01930 CAM Members $95, Non-Members $135, Students with ID $75 Registration Required Tickets to individual days or lectures are not available. Registration includes access to the special exhibition Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea on Friday, September 18 from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. ─────── Opening Day Thursday, September 17, 2026 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea – Keynote Speaker Crosscurrents, Riptides, and Eddies: Thinking about Influence at the Seashore by Harry Cooper Over the course of several summers spent together in Gloucester and environs, Mark Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb emerged from the shadow of their great friend and mentor, Milton Avery, to come into their own. This lecture explores the exhibition through the lens of influence, considering exchanges not only between our three protagonists but also with other figures haunting the beach, from Sophocles and T.S. Eliot to Matisse and more. ─────── Full Day Friday, September 18, 2026 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Bagged lunch is included. Morning Program Atmospheric Geography and Abstraction at Sea by James Lawrence The process of detaching abstract forms from their origins in the physical world is seldom as straightforward as commentary and theory might lead us to believe. Adolph Gottlieb’s mature style embodies several tactics that gained traction during the 1930s, some of which exploited the distinctive traits of coastal and maritime phenomena. This examination of his technique considers what happens to abstraction when it leaves dry land, how Gottlieb harnessed its currents, and how we might assess the results within the development of western painting. Milton Avery: A Life of Experimentation by Edith Devaney This lecture brings together and examines Avery’s autodidactic nature, interrogating how this, along with his lifelong experimentation in composition, form, and technique ensured that he not only sustained the position of being a painter of great interest during his career and to this day, but that it was these very qualities which proved to be so compelling to artists who have followed in his wake. Afternoon Program Mark Rothko — From Cape Ann to Provincetown: The Arc of a Career by Dr. Christopher Rothko & Dr. Kate Rothko Prizel An examination of Rothko’s development and output, looking at the importance of place, colleagues, and subject throughout his career. For an artist who reluctantly left the studio, we will find great works inspired by travel, companionship, and time away. Panel discussion by Eliza Rathbone, Oliver Barker, Dr. Kate Rothko Prizel, Dr. Christopher Rothko, Sanford Hirsch, and Sean Cavanaugh Viewing of the special exhibition Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Click to read Symposium Speaker Biographies. Image Credit: Milton Avery, Harbor at Night, 1932. Oil on canvas. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC. Acquired 1942, 0038. © 2026 The Milton Avery Trust/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.