Characterized by one critic as “Thoreau in the midst of the Gold Rush,” Milton Avery coolly rejected the trend for Abstract Expressionism, preferring instead to create lyrical canvases such as Breaking Sea. His fluent oil paint, handled like watercolor, invites serene contemplation while revealing a poetic flair for pattern. Long comfortable with modernist developments in French and German painting, Avery finally made his first trip to Europe in 1952, the same year he painted this work. In December of that year, his first retrospective exhibition opened at the BMA before traveling to four additional cities. Breaking Sea was one of the works that Avery lent to the exhibition. It was acquired by the BMA shortly afterward.