In the late 1920s, Rothko met the modernist painter Milton Avery (1885-1965), whose simplified and colorful depictions of domestic subjects had a profound influence on Rothko's early development, particularly his application of paint and treatment of color. Avery's home became a meeting place for artists, who attended weekly life drawing sessions there. Rothko was in regular attendance. This is a profile portrait of Rothko, smoking a pipe, by Avery. The informality of the image speaks to the close friendship and mutual respect and admiration shared by the two artists.

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Milton Avery, "Rothko with Pipe," 1936, drypoint, brown-black ink on woven paper, National Gallery of Art, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund