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Benjamin Butler

Benjamin Butler has become well known for a repeated use of trees, forests, and landscapes in his paintings. This repetition of motif, coupled with varying levels of abstraction, allows him to make paintings that are freed of concern for ‘subject matter’. Additionally, his work exudes a sensitivity to the accessibility and familiarity that the history of landscape painting provides. For the past two decades, the artist has reinvented his subjects through systematic process, brushwork, color, composition, and surface. Butler is exploring the limits of abstraction and representation in painting while weighing pictorial beauty against conceptual restraint.

catalog

Benjamin Butler Pinecones, 2024

8.5 x 5.5 inch, 34 pages, full color catalog of Benjamin Butler’s 2024 solo exhibition Pinecones at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery.

klausgallery.cloud

On the Lake

Ed. No. 20 of KLAUSGALLERY.CLOUD chronicles Benjamin Butler’s residency at SoArt on Lake Millstatt.

review

Benjamin Butler - Forest(s)

Will Heinrich reviews Benjamin Butlers, "Forest(s)" show in The New York Times.

klausgallery.cloud

Ludlow / Leipzig

In 2019 Leipzig-based Bastian Muhr and Vienna-based Benjamin Butler began a conversation rooted in an affinity for each other’s work. Ed. No. 7 of KLAUSGALLERY.CLOUD explores the discussions the two artists had surrounding a mutual interest in the aesthetics of a reduction that still preserves the presence of the hand, and Ludlow/Leipzig: their two concurrent shows at Galerie Jochen Hempel in Leipzig and at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery in New York.

Review

Benjamin Butler

Yuki Higashino reviewed Benjamin Butler's solo show at Galerie Martin Janda in Vienna.

Museum Exhibition

Benjamin Butler in Greater New York at MoMA P.S.1

A Benjamin Butler painting was included in Greater New York, 2005, at MoMA P.S.1, in New York City.

Benjamin Butler

b. 1975 in Westmoreland, Kansas
lives and works in Vienna, Austria

Education

2000
M.F.A., Painting, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL

1997
B.F.A., Emporia State University, Emporia, KS

Solo Exhibitions

2022
Lake Gosau, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York, NY

2020
Two-Tones, Monochromes, and Other Landscapes, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

2019
Silver/Landscapes, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York, NY

2018
Recent Trees and Monochromes, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria
Aura Gallery, Beijing, China

2016
Forest(s), Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York, NY
Trees Alone, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

2015
Another Tree, Another Forest, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria

2014
Green Forest, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York, NY
Selected Trees, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

2013
In the Midst, Between, Betwixt, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, England

2012
Benjamin Butler: Pastels, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria
Some Trees, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York, NY

2010
Gallery, Paintings and Drawings 2010, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

2009
These Trees, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria

2008
Dark and Leafless, Lora Reynolds Gallery, Austin, TX

2007
New Trees, Galerie Michael Zink, Berlin, Germany
New Trees, Karyn Lovegrove Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Leafless Trees and Sakura, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

2006
New Trees and Forests, Lora Reynolds Gallery, Austin, TX

2005
Paintings, Groeflin Maag Galerie, Basel, Switzerland
New Paintings, Karyn Lovegrove Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Forest’s Edge, Team Gallery, New York, NY

2004
Tree Alone, Galerie Lisa Ruyter, Vienna, Austria
Trees, Team Gallery, New York, NY

2003
Little Mountain, Tomio Koyama Gallery, project room, Tokyo, Japan
Early Spring, Greener Pastures Contemporary Art, Toronto, Canada

2002
Mountain Paintings, Team Gallery, New York, NY

Two Person Exhibitions

2020
Leipzig/Ludlow: Benjamin Butler and Bastian Muhr, Galerie Jochen Hempel, Leipzig, Germany
Ludlow/Leipzig: Benjamin Butler and Bastian Muhr, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York, NY

2010
Leafless: Glen Baldridge & Benjamin Butler, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York, NY

Group Exhibitions

2024
Painting, as It Were (Painting as Is III), curated by Heidi Hahn & Tim Wilson, Kadel Willborn, Düsseldorf, Germany.

2023
Nature, Charim Gallery, Vienna, Austria
Form, Agency, Vienna, Austria
6 Artists selected by Tomio Koyama Gallery, Hankyu Men’s Osaka, Osaka, Japan

2022
Forest Through the Trees, Laumeier Sculpture Park, Sappington, MO
87 Franklin Inaugural, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York, NY
contemporary – ism, Objet d’art, Tokyo, Japan

2019
sotto voce, curated by Robert Bordo, Bortolami Gallery, New York, NY
Globe as a Palette; Contemporary Art from The Taguchi Art Collection, Hokkaido Obihiro Museum of Art/Kushiro Art Museum/Hakodate Museum of Art/Sapporo Art Museum, Hokkaido, Japan

2017
The Secret Life of Plants, curated by Jennifer Coates and Nick Lawrence, Freight + Volume, New York, NY

2016
Three Paths to the Lake, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria

2014
Verzweigt, Museum Sinclair-Haus, Bad Homburg, Germany
Short, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria

2013
Intersection – Contemporary Abstraction and Figuration, TAM, Torrance, CA
Imprisoned, Jailbreak, XYZ Collective, Tokyo, Japan
Land Ho!, curated by Holly Coulis and Ridley Howard, Fine Arts Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA

2012
Disappearing Acts (Act II), Anna Kustera Gallery, New York, NY
B-Out, curated by Scott Hug, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York, NY
East West Shift to the Middle Part II, Bill Brady/KC, Kansas City, MO

2010
Collections-March, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Kyoto, Japan

2009
Mark Making: Dots, Lines, and Curves, Lora Reynolds Gallery, Austin, TX
Dark Side of the Moon, Galerie Martin Janda, Vienna, Austria

2008
Summer Show, Lora Reynolds Gallery, Austin, TX
The Big Gift, Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Narcissus, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA
Anne Eastman & Benjamin Butler, ATM Gallery, New York, NY
Daikanyama Group Show, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

2007
Horizon, curated by David Humphrey, EFA Gallery, New York, NY
Landscapes, Southfirst Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Inside the Pale, curated by Frank Schroder, Thrust Projects, New York, NY
Homecoming, Nerman Museum/Epsten Gallery, Overland Park, KA
Approaching Landscape, Galerie Michael Zink, Munich, Germany

2006
Palette, curated by Augusto Arbizo, Greenberg van Doren, New York, NY
Group Show, Karyn Lovegrove Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Group Show, Shane Campbell Gallery, Oak Park, IL
Summer Group Show, Lora Reynolds Gallery, Austin, TX
AIR, curated by Amy Sillman, Monya Rowe Gallery, New York, NY
Benjamin Butler, Holly Coulis, Ridley Howard, Galleria Glance, Turin, Italy

2005
Hello Sunday, curated by Holly Coulis, Sixtyseven, New York, NY
Devil’s Punchbowl, curated by Katharina Grosse, Christopher Grimes Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
On the Beach, curated by Justin Lowe, Printed Matter, New York, NY
Honeymoon with Romeo, curated by Holly Coulis, Groeflin Maag Galerie, Basel, Switzerland
Greater New York, MoMA P.S.1, New York, NY
Sad Songs, curated by Bill Congers, Illinois State University, Normal, IL
where do we come from, what are we? where are we going?, curated by Katherine Bernhardt, Champion Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA

2004
A.C., Elizabeth Dee Gallery, New York, NY
Five Artist Shows, Rove/Kenny Schachter, London, UK
Full Disclosure, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA
Beat the Reaper, curated by Joe Bradley, Allston Skirt Gallery, Boston, MA

2003
Greetings from New York, New Abstraction, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
Game Over, Grimm/Rosenfeld Galerie, Munich, Germany
The Larger Room, curated by Mari Eastman, 678 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

2002
Inaugural Exhibition, Greener Pastures Contemporary Art, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

2000
Electraslip Knife, curated by Stephanie Campos, Alternative Space, Chicago, IL

1999
long cold winter in an endlessnameless, curated by Slater Bradley, Jay Batlle and Amy Sarkisian, Studio 870, Los Angeles, CA

Bibliography

2020
Goodman, Jonathan, ““Ludlow/Leipzig” at Klaus von Nichtssagend”, Whitehot Magazine, August

2018
Yuki Higashino, “Benjamin Butler: Recent Trees and Monochromes”, Critics Picks, Artforum.com

2016
Heinrich, Will, “Benjamin Butler”, New York Times, November 4
Vogel, Sabine, “Was ist gute Malerei?”, DiePresse.com, July 9
Sato, Shiori, “幾何学模様の樹木を描き続ける、ベンジャミン・バトラーに聞く”, bitecho.me, July 3

2015
Smith, Roberta, “At NADA Art Fair, Collecting for Pleasure, Not Status”, The New York Times, May 14

2014
Smith, Roberta, “Benjamin Butler: Green Forest”, The New York Times, May 15
Gopnik, Blake, “The Daily Pic”, ArtInfo.com, April 29

2012
Scheyerer, Nicole, “Zurück zur Nicht-Kunst”, Aktuelle Nachrichen, July 12
Schwabsky, Barry, “Frieze Frame: On Art Fairs”, The Nation, May 29
Palmerton, Elwyn, “Benjamin Butler at Klaus von Nichtssagend”, Artillery, June/July
Heinrich, Will, “Out of the Woods: Benjamin Butler at Klaus von Nichtssagend”, New York Observer, April 18

2011
Kley, Elizabeth, “New Art in Tokyo”, Artnet.com, June

2010
The Open Daybook, edited by David P. Earle, catalogue with illustration
Levy, Michelle, “Returning to Branches”,Artslant
Bilsborough, Michael, “Taken by Trees”, School of Visual Arts
Global New Art: Taguchi Art Collection #01, catalogue with illustration
Bilsborough, Michael, “Big in Japan!,” School of Visual Arts
Smith, Roberta, “Summer Pictures,” The New York Times, August 7

2008
Ocvirk, Otto, Robert E. Stinson,‎ Philip R. Wigg,‎ Robert O. Bone,‎ and David L. Cayton, Art Fundamentals: Theory and Practice, illustration
“Top Pick: Benjamin Butler:Dark and Leafless,” Austin American-Statesman, illustration, November 20

2007
Berliner Zeitung, Rubrik, “Termine der Woche,” Nr 295 Dienstag, December 18
Gray, Emma, “LA Confidential,” Artnet.com, October 12
Gray, Emma, “Top Ten Shows in LA,” Saatchi Online, September
Brooks, Amra “Must See Art,” LA Weekly, September 5
Fujimori, Manami, “Figaro” Japon, September 5

2006
Thorson, Alice, “Homecoming”, Kansas City Star, November 26
Westkott, Hanne, “Kunstvolle Natur”, Suddeutsche Zeitung, November 2
Zeitung, Suddeutsche, “Kunstvolle Natur”, Hanne Westkott, November 2, S.73
van Ryzin, Jeanne Claire, “Butler Blends Influences Deftly”, Austin American-Statesman, November 7
Kerr, Merrily, “Palette”, Time Out New York, August 17-23
Smith, Roberta, “Art in Review: Palette”, The New York Times, August 11
Bors, Chris, “Chroma Trouble”, Artnet.com, August 4
Brooks, Amra, “Must See Art”, LA Weekly, August 2
Killeen, Michael, “Color Focus”, Bloomberg News, August 1
van Ryzin, Jeanne Claire, Austin American-Statesman, July 29
“Benjamin Butler”, Art Moco, illustration, July 20
Maerkle, Andrew, “Palette,” flavorpill.com, July 12
Johnson, Ken, “Air,” The New York Times, July 7
Goodbody, Bridget L., “Air”, Time Out New York, issue 562, July 6-12
Olivas, Yvonne, “Benjamin Butler at Team”, Art in America, illustration, February, p. 134
Brooks, Amra, “Benjamin Butler, Karyn Lovegrove Gallery”, Artforum, illustration, January, p. 231

2005
Greater New York, published by MoMA P.S.1, illustration, with essay by Irene Shum
Aebi, Adrian, “Basler Zeitung”, Kulturmagazin, December 8
Johnson, Ken, “Benjamin Butler, Forest’s Edge”, The New York Times, June 4
Kley, Elisabeth, “Greater New York 2005”, Artnews, illustration, May
Andrews, Betsy, “Getting Ourselves Back to the Garden”, Gay City News, illustration, April 28
Saltz, Jerry, “Lesser New York”, Village Voice, p. 77, March 28

2004
Douglas, Sarah, “London Letter”, Artnet.com, October 27
Saltz, Jerry, “Five Points”, March 17-23
Bellini, Andrea, “I Nuovissimi di New York”, illustration, Flash Art, p. 83-84
Hirschmann, Thomas, “Earthy Tones: Four Spring Shows Mark the Greening of the Gallery Circuit”, Now Toronto, April 3

2002
Smith, Roberta, “Benjamin Butler–Mountain Paintings”, The New York Times, December 20

Public Collections

Glenbow Collection, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, Kansas