The Phillips Collection is bringing three giants of American art together in one unforgettable exhibition. “Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea” opens on October 24, 2026, and celebrates the lifelong friendship between Milton Avery, Adolph Gottlieb, and Mark Rothko, as well as the summers they shared on the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts.
For the first time, the exhibition brings together approximately 90 paintings, drawings, prints, and watercolors created from the 1920s through the 1960s, revealing how friendship, shared experiences, and mutual encouragement shaped the work of these towering figures of modern art. The sea, the light, and the landscapes of Cape Ann run through the story like a bright thread.
The show is organized by the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, Massachusetts, in partnership with The Phillips Collection, and will be on view through January 24, 2027. As America’s first museum of modern art, The Phillips Collection is the perfect home for an exhibition that proves great art is rarely made alone — it is born of conversation, friendship, and shared discovery.
A luminous, joyful plan for art lovers this fall and holiday season in Washington, D.C.
Photo: The Phillips Collection
