Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea
Blockbuster Reopens Cape Ann Museum in June
By: CAM - Nov 16, 2025
On view: June 30 - September 27, 2026
Cape Ann Museum | 27 Pleasant St. Gloucester, MA 01930
Building on the extraordinary momentum and record attendance generated by the 2023 exhibition Edward Hopper & Cape Ann: Illuminating an American Landscape, the Cape Ann Museum is pleased to announce a new landmark exhibition, Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea, on view from June 30 through September 27, 2026.
The exhibition will coincide with the reopening of the Museum’s Downtown campus next spring, following a significant renovation as part of a historic $23 million campaign that includes reimagined gallery spaces celebrating the Museum’s 150th anniversary in 2025 and looking ahead to the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea explores the artistic bond between three pivotal 20th century American artists—Milton Avery, Adolph Gottlieb, and Mark Rothko—whose shared summers in Gloucester, Massachusetts, from the 1920s to the mid-1940s sparked creative developments that would define their careers. Works on view—many never before seen—highlight their shared experiences by the sea, including Avery’s coastal scenes, Rothko’s early seaside figures, and Gottlieb’s beach box motifs. The exhibition is guest curated by Eliza Rathbone and is being presented through a collaboration between the Cape Ann Museum (CAM) and The Phillips Collection (Washington, D.C).
As the first Cape Ann Museum generated show to then be taken on by another institution, the Museum is working in close collaboration with all three artists’ estates. The show will feature over 82 works from the 1920s to the 1960s, with loans from 26 prominent national and private institutional collections, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., which is a central partner lending 10 works by Mark Rothko to the exhibition.
This unprecedented exhibit, accompanied by a 224-page catalog produced by Rizzoli Electa, will reveal the deep connections between these artists, emphasizing their roles as both mentors and peers, while showcasing the unique working methods and lifelong friendships that shaped their groundbreaking art.
Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea, along with the refreshed Downtown campus spaces, will usher in a dynamic new chapter for the Museum, reinforcing its commitment to a bright future as we continue to find new ways to serve, inspire and celebrate our community and Cape Ann’s singularly unique heritage.
Tickets will be available for pre-sale beginning June 1, 2026.